How do you calculate how much delta v you'll need to go to another biome on Kerbin?

[noahtech]

I'm trying to figure out an efficient way to get to all the biomes on Kerbin, but I can't find a way to calculate how much fuel I'll need to get to a given biome. Do I use

S=v*t+(a*t^2)/2 ? Because I can't figure out how I would use that when going to the North pole.

Edited December 18, 2014 by noahtech

[Taki117]

Do you have enough dV to get to orbit? Yes? Good, you can do a suborbital hop to get anywhere you need to go.

[Starman4308]

Much like going to orbit, it's rather spectacularly dependent on your ascent profile. I would probably aim for something which can get to orbit: there's a good chance you'd need some of that fuel for last-minute corrections anyways.

[noahtech]

So I'm guessing short distances can be done with that simple formula then?

[Starman4308]

So I'm guessing short distances can be done with that simple formula then?

No, for several reasons. The simplest one is that that assumes you are traveling in one direction (such as straight up), instead of a ballistic trajectory. Another giant complication is atmospheric drag, which is going to destroy one of the primary assumptions of that equation, particularly when using stock atmo.

In order to actually solve it, you'd need to integrate a number of particularly nasty partial differential equations... which would pretty much mean "try it in KSP until it works with the least fuel*".

*Technically speaking, KSP is, indeed, a program which solves these partial differential equations numerically.

[noahtech]

No, for several reasons. The simplest one is that that assumes you are traveling in one direction (such as straight up), instead of a ballistic trajectory. Another giant complication is atmospheric drag, which is going to destroy one of the primary assumptions of that equation, particularly when using stock atmo.

In order to actually solve it, you'd need to integrate a number of particularly nasty partial differential equations... which would pretty much mean "try it in KSP until it works with the least fuel*".

*Technically speaking, KSP is, indeed, a program which solves these partial differential equations numerically.

Darn. :/ I was hoping there'd be a way to do it without putting in a whole lot of work.

[thereaverofdarkness]

I just get into a low orbit and take "in space near..." biome readings. It's faster and saves a ton of headache. But if I were trying to do all of the biomes individually, I think I'd decide the easiest way was to send up several tiny landers into orbit, each carrying parachutes and science equipment with a small amount of dV, then send each one individually to a given biome from orbit.

[noahtech]

I just get into a low orbit and take "in space near..." biome readings. It's faster and saves a ton of headache. But if I were trying to do all of the biomes individually, I think I'd decide the easiest way was to send up several tiny landers into orbit, each carrying parachutes and science equipment with a small amount of dV, then send each one individually to a given biome from orbit.

That's actually a pretty good idea. The only thing is that I don't think I've got the probe technology to do that. (also it would probably be too heavy).

[thereaverofdarkness]

Most of the "in space near" readings are Gravmax and EVA reports. That's where the biome counts. So I do it with a pilot in orbit. You can hit every biome other than polar on an equatorial orbit of Kerbin and the Mün, and all except for polar and highlands on Minmus. That way you can get a lot of science easily in a single orbit.

As for doing contracts sending you to a specific location, just do what others have said and use a high-arcing suborbital trajectory. Even just going 50km across the surface, you can save a lot of fuel by reaching at least 25km altitude on your arc. Anything closer is easily done by plane.

[noahtech]

Ok thanks.