Can you fly around the earth vertically end over end? Would you wanna?

Question

Pole down to pole bisecting the world. Are there perils?

Answer 1

Airplane: You can fly anywhere you want to in any direction. Since 1926 there have been trans-pole airflights. East Asia-North America trans-pole flights cut several hours off flight time and can save airlines tens of thousands of dollars. Shanghai-New York trans-pole flights last 14 hours. A reduction of 6 hours compared to transit flights. Besides shorter flight times, there is less turbulence experienced. The atmosphere is thinner at the poles so more radiation enters there. Cosmic radiation received during polar flights are a little more than the amount received in four x-rays. This is still well within safe limits. A person would need to make about 215 trans-pole flights to absorb enough radiation to be affected. Countermeasures may be taken such as consuming more vitamins.

Satellite: There are many polar orbital satellites. Beginning in 1960, such satellites have been in use for such things as: Studying weather and meteorological conditions, mapping, environmental studies, monitoring solar wind, and studying the aurora. Polar orbital satellites usually have a low altitude orbit measured in hundreds of miles not thousands. This allows them to make an orbit around the globe in 100 minutes.

Manned: Astronauts avoid polar orbits because of the aurora which would expose them to radiation and create other problems for the craft.

Answer 2

It is possible; however, I would not want to. A polar orbit can be attained by expending a lot of fuel; Light weight spy satellites are good candidates because as the earth turns beneath them they can cover the entire globe with their sensors. However, manned spacecraft generally orbit in a sinusoidal pattern traveling from west to east. There are excellent reasons for this:

1. When you launch to the east, you get an extra energy boost from the rotation of the earth, which is already moving in that direction. Therefore, you can reach orbital velocity with less fuel, and that is critical on manned missions.

2. The Kennedy Space Center is not on the equator; therefore a launch to the east that is centered on the earth's C.G. ( as it must be ) will result in the orbit crossing the equator several times in each orbit. While there is some choice in the frequency of the equatorial crossings based on speed and altitude, any other orbit wastes fuel.

It is always perilous to waste fuel on a manned spacecraft.

Answer 3

It's not entirely clear what you mean, but if you are asking whether it is possible to orbit the earth from pole to pole, the answer is yes. It has been done a number of times. No known manned space mission has flown in a pole to pole orbit.

Answer 4

You mean... on a polar orbit?

Sure. That's a classic trajectory for most spy satellites. The shuttle can launch with pretty high angle to the ecliptic - I think it can almost reach the Arctic/Antarctic circles - but I'm not sure if it has enough power for a true polar orbit.

I don't know if there'd be much value to a manned mission, frankly.

Answer 5

The Russians use a pole to pole orbit with many of their satellites. I believe it is called a molniya orbit.

Answer 6

Polar transits happen all the time with satellites. No big whup.

You're talking about flying -- not space or astronomy?

Answer 7

think of it this way if you bisected the world u may be trapped constantly in a gravity vortex because when you get on one side the gravity w could suk u bak to the otherside in an endless cycle

Answer 8

Yes you can. I think some satellites are in such an orbit.

Answer 9

I never thought of that...

I am sure that you can