Polar Airship Circumnavigation?

[MedwedianPresident]

So, i thought of the idea that an high-altitude airship with 20-25 crew members performs a vertical circumnavigation (around the poles) while collecting atmospheric data and performing aerophotography. It might be very useful to study how the atmosphere changes with your location on the planet.

Good idea?

[K^2]

I don't think you'd be able to travel in the precise North-South direction with an air ship. Predominant winds will definitely carry you East and West by a lot. But if you don't care about it being in the straight line, it's doable. Especially, if you figure out how to get supply planes to dock with it in flight. This seems like it'd be a long mission.

The only impossible thing about all of this, though, is getting funding for it.

[Tex_NL]

Wind? Since when is there any wind in KSP?

The Coriolis effect will probably force you off course but definitely not wind.

[K^2]

Who said anything about KSP?

[TechnicalK3rbal]

Was he talking abut kerbal space program?

[astropapi1]

This is on the Science Labs for a reason.

[Kryten]

The kind of weather you get over the north and (especially) south poles isn't exactly perfect for airship operations.

[Winter Man]

While I'm all for airships, I'd say it'd be far far cheaper to just use a string of fixed ground stations with tethered balloons.