Ksp Delta-V Map

[The Programming Nerd]

Is the delta-v map showing the min or max delta-v usage?

[Gargamel]

And moving this to the Gameplay Questions Sub forum....

I believe it is showing the bare minimum.

[bewing]

There is no maximum. You can be 100% inefficient.

[The Programming Nerd]

Just now, bewing said:

There is no maximum. You can be 100% inefficient.

Well that is me. 

[Grogs]

They do seem to be minimums or close to it. For example, going from Low Kerbin Orbit to the circular orbit around Jool adds to 4900 m/s using the chart. Looking at Alex Moon's tool, the optimum launch over a period of 10 years is 4887 m/s. For planning I've been adding about a 25% safety margin to these numbers to account for my less than optimum flying ability.

[Zhetaan]

14 hours ago, The Programming Nerd said:

Is the delta-v map showing the min or max delta-v usage?

It shows the average of a series of optimum Hohmann transfers.  That means that the numbers will tend to be low.  There are more efficient trajectories, but most of these are not direct transfers; they require increased flight time, gravity assists, or both.  There are infinitely many less efficient trajectories.  As @bewing said, you can be 100% inefficient.

[Tyko]

It's not bare minimum - especially the "leaving an atmosphere" parts like Kerbin to LKO. You can accomplish this for several hundred m/s less.

This is a really good guide for designing rockets / missions though. If you plan to have the DVs listed your missions should work barring some major player induced inefficiencies. 

There are two times I increase those numbers:

1. Propulsive landings - these are tough to get right and getting them wrong has terminal consequences
2. Burns over 4-5 minutes - the longer a burn the less ideal it is and the more DV loss you encounter

Edited February 21, 2019 by Tyko