Edit: I DID IT GUYS

OK, the probability of one of the 7,000 remaining people (or whatever the amount is, there's no confirmed disappearance percentage but A made a guess at 1 in 1,000,000 at one point) being in a satellite when it happens is quite low. But still, it'd be a cool idea, right? Right?

Maybe they might be able to communicate with someone on the ground - if they got lucky. But that seems too OP, and lucky. What could happen is they get in one of the ejecty pod things and another pony survivor sees the pod land in a nearby ocean - close to shore.

What else can you do in space? There's probably a lot of cool things - but there's no custom pony space suits.

Also: first unadmin thread

On another note, I wonder what would happen if someone was awake during the disappear thing...

Oh, they don't need to be asleep when the change happens? I was under the impression that whatever happened caused them to be unconscious or they were already asleep. Also did the people's clothes get left behind? For example, would cars contain the garments of their former passengers, strapped into the seats where they vanished, or did their clothes go with them? (Are there a bunch of naked humans wherever they went to? XD)

4425173 Maybe. But what if someone was driving then got changed into a pony full throttle?

I don't trust myself to make an inference from your last point...

Imagine a plain grass for miles with billions of naked people...

I have a feeling that if clothes didn't disappear (implying other non-natural things didn't as well, including pacemakers and other artificial implants), A would have noted the piles where people had been standing, the clothes just laying in beds where people had been sleeping, as if they just melted. That seems significantly disturbing enough that A would have mentioned it, especially the implications it would have for what happened to people.

Oh, but back on topic. Someone on the space station or in a shuttle would be a really interesting idea. You'd have to really think about the details, though. A no-gravity, limited air environment that was designed for mobility by people with hands. How does a pony move around without being able to grab anything? How do they operate the equipment to get back to Earth safely? Interesting questions to answer, if you give them proper consideration.

((I'm just gonna leave this over here...))

4425213 It'd probably be one of the most hazardous environments to start in. Which is why I think someone should do it. There's much to gain (if there's a large communication coverage), but much to lose. Especially if they're in an orbit further from Earth which could make the return problematic. Also, all the sleeping and sanitary equipment is designed for humans...

If no one's done it by 3 weeks I might take a shot at it (I've got exams for 2 and a half weeks so...).

4425191 Why do I always attract these kinds of conversations...

I think the space-thing would be really interesting and add some more detail in the whole universe, but it would probably be a short one. Due to fuel / electricity problems and more important, air / food problems.

And for my defense, it's not me who brought that up.

Also did the people's clothes get left behind?

Anyway, I would love to see someone doing it. Thinking about someone who is able to communicate with others and alone. Close with everyone and yet alone and fated to die

4425316 Wouldn't that be a... kinda bad end start? I could be wrong, but don't you need several teams of trained individuals on the surface to get you back home?

4425179 That's what I kept thinking. North america's fine, but China, where it was day?

Not fun on the streets.

This idea is awesome. Could go one of two ways.
1. The depressing way. There is no way to get the character to ground before their supplies run out, not without a skilled ground crew. They will eventually die. Character communicates with a few ponies on land who happened to get in contact somehow (obviously this detail would need to be determined). Eventually supplies start running out and pony tries a landing anyway. Crashes and dies doing what they love, having made friends with whoever was on the radio.

2. The less depressing way. Character makes contact with a single member of the ground crew who must do all the survival things in the old ground control. The two coordinate and plan over the long time of the mission (perhaps six months to a year). Ground pone tries to find other survivors as well as the huge task of keeping everything on the ground working. Eventually supplies are running low and Ground pony must try to single-hoofedly get the skypony home. Survives maybe? Maybe somehow pony magic is instrumental to a safe landing? Could go either way.

4425143 There are very few humans in space, right now.

The probability is low, very low. Like, you would be more likely to win lottery twice in a row before that happens.

IF it happens there are a few different problems:

A) Reentry without guidance from the ground is hard. If they managed to get into the rescue capsules (Soyuz (?!)), seperate and are on course, they have to be lucky to get on a proper course without ground control. (i.e. hitting a mountain, landing in the middle of nowhere/ocean)

B) They could return to earth. Or atleast they couldn't be rescued. They would most likely land either in a ocean or in an uninhabited area

C) Without corrections from ground GPS would most likely fail within months if not weeks. Detailed here XKCD - What If - 67

C - 1) Without GPS the ISS and whatever other stations couldn't rely on their telemetry and correct the orbit. Their orbit would decay and they would burn up within a year.

C - 2) Without GPS you can't plan the trajectory of your reentry and will most likely die very, very fast

D) Without constant food/oxygen/spareparts/water supply from the ground they will die.

E) I don't know the effects of weightlessness on a horse but the astronauts aren't trained to use hooves to maneuver and use their instruments. If he/she throws up, they station would start to smell and probably make some instruments unusable.

In conclusion, you not only need a pony in space, you need someone on the ground to work with telemetry and understand how to SINGLE-HOOFEDLY coordinate a unplanned reentry. And even then it would be amazingly hard to do. (as stated by Starscribe)

edit: As a side note: At the current time in the main story GPS will already show signs of the orbital decay. Not much, maybe a few extra centimeters, but it will be measurable.

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4427346
4425433 That was what led me to the idea. It's clearly a different setting from the main fic so will not share too many parallels. Currently though, I'm trying to think of a way to get back down with no (skilled) assistance. Whoever's up there could probably survive for a month at least so they themselves would be able to form a detailed plan.

Whilst it's a hazardous scenario there could be many benefits if it is a communication satellite. There might be a way to send out a large scale broadcast in the early days detailing a meeting place.

There's also the issue of pony type. My instinct is to say Pegasus because the wings in no gravity could be interesting. However, unless the pony is a very magically adept unicorn I doubt they'd be able to get down.

Lastly, if this is to be believed, there are only 6 people in space right now. If the chance of one person being picked is 1/1000000. Assuming these events are all mutually exclusive, then there's a 1/1000000 * (999999/1000000)^5 * 6 chance of any one of the 6 people being picked, which is 6*10^6 to 1sf. Which isn't too bad. That's assuming the selection (or unselection) is completely random.

4425292 You're now my favourite story artist.

4427895

>> Zutcha You're now my favourite story artist.

Neat.

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4427346
Dammit. Now I already have half the layout for this story in my head after just 10 minutes.
And I haven't been able to write anything for almost a year now. *face keyboard*
fkkffffzcccccccccccccccccccc dxfzvlkdsfa
I'll just go an sulk over here. Somebody please write this story!

4428256 I am. I literally just started because I've got a short break from exams and revision. Don't worry. I might push it out a bit early but chapters will be irregular for the first 3 weeks or so (exams and my after exam self-pity fest). Currently, I'm trying to get a better name. Also, this will be in the form of audio logs.

4427346 I just want to ask now. Are there any no go areas for things I should(n't) do in space? Such as contact a large area (I'll probably have him/her try)? Also, I have decided that the Gryphons will be British - or at least this one will be. Mainly because everyone else in the US, and I'm British. Not that it will have much of an impact on the story.

We have one of all the other flying races/species and I think wings in 0 gravity would be cool. Hence Gryphons.

4439851 4439851

Also, this will be in the form of audio logs.

Neat! Audio recordings from a hightech environment will probably make for a somewhat falloutish feel.
Very good idea... looking forward to it.

4439912 Despite being a gryphon with claws, the aim of the vlogs is to try and stream them down to earth (with picture evidence he isn't BSing about being a gryphon). I'm thinking of having an opening chapter of a pony finding the vlogs and reading through them - or him/her looking back over them.

I still need a good story name that isn't:
A) Samey and boring (i.e. The Last Gryphon in Space)
B) Irrelevant (i.e. The Last Gryphon Space Pirate)

4439961 Hmm... The eagle needs landing.
*gives Neil Armstrong a nod*

4439994 Eagles... yeah. I like. I like very much.

4439998 You do? That just made me smile
As I said, I'm really looking forward to see where you'll go with this.

4439851
You can absolutely try to contact large areas but unless you think of something really clever, it's hard to contact earth well when most technology no longer works. To my knowledge, it takes pretty specialized equipment to talk to any of the space stations we've ever made. Takes a pretty manly radio to get through the atmosphere, and generally we use even weirder things to do it.

But I'm not actually a space... person, so what would I know.

4440253 I'm now picturing a radio town with a bushy beard and chest hair. Thanks for that image, Scribe. I really needed it...

4440273
He moonlights as a lumberjack on weekends.
[youtube=sZa26_esLBE]

4440253 Yeah, radio waves are reflected by the ionsphere, or something (too short wavelength). Microwaves go through but radios don't read them. Thus he'd be limited to specific buildings. Unless he can somehow hack a communication satellite.

4440041 I'm now working on it here. I'll add my chapters when I finish them on gdocs. Then publish once they're edited enough.

4442091 Cheers, I'll check it out.

You guys know there are things you can hand wave for story's sake. Things only nit pickers would find a beef with.