For the ponies of Equestria, outer space has always been an unreachable frontier, far more difficult to explore than even the harshest wilderness. Though they have controlled the movements of the sun and moon for thousands of years, none have traveled to the vast expanse in which these two celestial bodies reside.
Equestria's newest princess hopes to change that. With the help of her friends, Twilight Sparkle will travel into the vastness of space, and push the technological boundaries of ponykind. But that goal is a long way off, and Twilight will first need to learn how to even survive the journey...
Chapters (7)
Holy shit what is this
I'm here, Twilight!
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Okay that was pretty good. A bit on the purple-prose side, but very nicely written.
I mean I actually fucking read it. That's got to say something.
>>Gremlin Grenade
I wanted the prose to be kind of purple. I think it will help us get more into Twilight's dreamy mindset.
And you did actually read it. High praise!
2830706
By the looks of it, Twilight hitting the low twenties in terms of miles altitude - high enough that the brightest stars are visible in the daytime.
If she wants to go higher, she'll need a pressure suit and, maybe, some kind of extra propulsion because I'm not sure how well pegasus flying magic will work in near-vacuum.
>>BenRG
My thoughts exactly.
>>SpaceCommie
Um, cuz you're in space? So she see's you? Is that why you're saying that? I'm confused. I'm not sure I get it.
Well written, and you ended the chapter perfectly! I will definitely be coming back for more.
2832453
I understand that, I just didn't think ol' Dancing Mop would write another story!
Okay, I've suspected it a long time but this chapter proves it. Pinkie Pie is a Spark - a Filly Genius. She can do just about anything... For Science!!! Putting her together with Twi will mean either a golden age of discovery and invention or, more likely, Equestria disappearing in a bright pink flash and a mushroom cloud of confetti.
Pinkie Pie, please pick up the white courtesy phone. You have an Agatha Hetrodyne holding for you.
3450930
I...wish I knew what you were referencing. What is it? I need to read it.
Yaaaaay, someone commented! I feel infinitely better about this chapter now! Thank you!
I just wish I had waited for my proofreader, I might have avoided that dislike.
3452628
It's a webcomic called 'Girl Genius'.
SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE
I look forward to the rest of this. I also enjoy portrayals of Pinkie as an engineering genius.
I always say Pinkie and Twi as kind of sparky...
Anyway, Mr.Mop, you have my attention.
Why would they know what a space suit looks like if no one's been to space?
3535088
Shh.
Interesting and a good bit of writing on your part to remember that Pegasi use air magic to fly (and thus no air = no motive power). Lots of fans wonder if there is a point above Equestria where magic doesn't work anymore, so that's why Twilight's powers were unreliable or even not working. A big shock for our heroines but it's a reminder of what an unusual place is Equestria.
Also, if they could just fly and levitate through space, they would never need a space ship. they'd just keep using the harness/pegasi configuration for pretty much ever, and that would get a little boring. But yes, the
escusesofficial reasons work quite well, don't they?3587697
I prefer the theory that pegasi use water magic, manipulating the water in the atmosphere to maintain flight. It's a better fit with cloud walking, rather than considering cloud walking and flight as two completely separate abilities.
This is an enjoyable story, the characters are spot on and I enjoyed seeing them trying to fly into orbit.
That said, you really should check the science part of the sci-fi.
Here is one idea for how a pony could fly.
And regardless of how they fly, travel into and out of the upper atmosphere doesn't lead automatically to orbit (See explanation here): No matter how high up you go, you still fall right back down. Spacecraft actually are falling, they just fall forever without hitting the ground because the earth curves away underneath them just as fast as they fall towards it. Twi and company just went straight up. They were never in any danger of leaving Equestria.
Also consider that a low earth orbit is more than 200 miles straight up! It requires an enormous amount of energy to climb 200 miles up the side of a mountain, even before packing on the 17,000 miles per hour speed necessary to stay there. The space suit is a good start, but without some kind of external power source, orbit would be out of reach.
Your story really is good, just keep working on the science and keep writing.
3589724
Ah, but they don't know gravitational mechanics. They were in freefall, even though they weren't in orbit. They accelerated upwards under wingpower until the air became too thin to propel themselves, at which point their "orbit" began. I don't remember if the word orbit was used in the story, but freefall happens in more cases than orbit. From then on they were trying to kill their upward momentum and keep together.
I don't like how Twilight's magic stops working. Magic is part of physics. What would have been cool is if levitation had been depicted as reactionless motion of an object and the caster in opposite vectors.
And how exactly are they using their wings in clunky suits?
3589724
I...never knew that! Spacecraft are actually falling when they orbit?!
Huh. I thought I knew quite a bit about this stuff. Thanks for the lesson.
3590346
Magic is part of physics? What Physics class did you take?
Cuz I never actually did.
So yeah, I don't really know much about gravitational mechanics, either.
Hey, at least I've got the Fi part down! I have some research to do in the Sci area, it seems.
God Dammit! How do you put the person's name in a comment, instead of just the number, when you reply to them?! I can't figure it out!
3590995
Take a look at this article about the test pilot Chuck Yeager - it describes what happened to him in the real world ceca 1950-1960 when he took a aircraft built for the job into the scenario you describe. This explains a few of the many pitfalls that humans found and overcame when we first went to space.
3590995
The number is just a reference to whichever comment you're replying to. The person's name appears when you load the page or click on the link to expand the comment.
And I mean magic is a part of pony physics. Usilly.
nice, but physics is a little off. They wouldn't be able to stay that high up for long, as there's no air to push against
3590995 even if they diden't push themselves to earth, they would have fallen back to earth. There flight was a suborbital flight, like Allan sheperd. Watch some orbital mechanics videos
Aw fuck, here I was hoping for the Equine Air and Space Administration, and now we have full-blown First Contact!
4200121
Yeah, I got the lecture after last chapter.
Sigh, I'm sorry. I'm working on the science part. I'm just gonna have to work with what I already wrote, though.
4200373
Well, I figured that it would be better if Twilight and Rainbow had an actual reason to go up to space, rather than just starting the space race on a whim. This should make things more fun.
Here's my bet - there aren't people (or ponies) in whatever landed there. It's a space probe of some kind that, after drifting through space for millennia, drifted into the Equis system and entered Equestria's gravity well. It's the indisputable proof, of course, that ponies are not alone in the universe. That, at least at one time, there was another species out there with intelligence, industry and maybe magic enough to send a mechanism into space to increase their knowledge and maybe, just maybe, look for signs that there's anypony else out there.
Good guys or bad guys, prudence demands that Celestia and Luna arrange things for ponies to meet them on a level playing field.
Just an additional thought. I'm thinking of the object having a gold phonograph disc on the side with the strangest set of pictures imaginable...
The Voyager Record - Greetings from Planet Earth
The Pioneer Plaque - The Apes From The Third World From The Sun
So, it was a crewed ship. Of course, it is in the nature of space to preserve things well. There is no telling how long this vehicle has been drifting through eternity. There isn't even an obvious way to tell if they even still exist or faded into extinction millennia ago. But Luna is right; the ponies have to be able meet them on level ground, should the need arise.
Aboard this thing, there is a disc. A disc that when played in a phonograph will play the sounds of [Whatever place this thing came from].
4461976
Yeah, you called that. And there's your reason for Twilight's space program to continue. Bam.
4462928
Or it's a cassette, and they're out of luck.
4463185
If it's a cassette, then we'll have to wait a couple of years perhaps.
3590995
Yeah. Getting up there is actually a lot easier than most people think (though still quite difficult). The reason you need such a ridiculous rocket engine and so much fuel is because it's a lot harder to get yourself moving sideways so fast that the Earth curves away from you as quickly as you fall toward it.
4666013
Can't you just do that once you're up there, and air resistance has dropped off? I would think the easiest way would be to clear the atmosphere with a quick burst of speed, then reorient yourself and start a slow burn in the desired direction. What am I forgetting about here?
4675218 That might be the best approach with really strong engines (and initial dampers)
But to reach a stable orbit around earth, you need to go at a speed of several thousand meters per second. The small orbital engines of a spacecraft need a lot of time to reach this. And during all this time you would have to waste thrust to keep your rocket from falling down again before you reach your orbit.
All in all, just going up first and then sideways would be possible, but require a rocket more than twice as big.
Of cause it is best to first clear the thickest parts of atmosphere, but once the rocket gets in to the heights where commercial airplanes fly, it should definitely go sideways at about 45° angle and slowly level out to a horizontal flight. The centrifugal force (uhg, physicians will hate me for even using that word) alone is enough to carry the spaceship further upwards, once it's horizontal speed is fast enough.
But it is a very common misconception to think that a rocket simply has to go up, so no shame on you.
5060556
>centrifugal force
5060591
Oh, are you a Physician?
5060599
I am a medical doctor yes. Hallo!
Oh.
I kinda thought he had just mistyped physicist. Why would a physician hate centrifugal force so much?
5060620 Because the correct term is Centripetal force.
5060556
Try "centrifugal momentum", although even that is pretty bad. Better is to just skip the word entirely and say vertical velocity.
5061372
Heheh, that's a really fun ride. Though the queue line is astonishingly long every day.
5061029
But it's pulling the object outward in it's circular motion. Isn't that centrifugal, and the force that keeps it from flying away is centripetal?
5061480
I don't understand your response to me. What ride?
And centrifugal force is not actually a thing. In the case of an orbiting body, the centripetal force is the gravity pulling the body inwards, while the equal and opposite force (required by Newton's laws) is the gravity pulling the larger body imperceptibly towards the orbiting one.
The apparent centrifugal force is just the sensation of an outward force caused by the constantly changing velocity of orbital motion, but because there is no force acting away from the the centre of mass, there is no centrifugal force.
Centripetal force is a label we give to an inwards force for a body in circular or elliptical motion. Centrifugal force is a label we give to inertial/momentum changes that isn't one of the forces present on any accurate force diagram.
5061918
A roller coaster in a theme park nearby me that, looking back on it, no one would get, if they're on the internet. Just...nevermind.
Ahhh...thanks for clearing that up.
5060620
).
5060599
Oh, sorry, I'm German and misused those two terms
As for the Centrifugal force, it doesn't actually exist. If you sit in a car that drives through a narrow curve, you feel like you are pressed into the door.
That is not, however, because the curve, car, or whatever creates a force that presses you sideways.
It is rather because your body's momentum wants to carry you forward in a straight line, while the car moves sideways. Since you sit inside the car, it will accelerate you to match it's movement, which results in you feeling a phantom force on you.
So all in all, If the car veers right, it is not, that a centrifugal force presses you left, but that the car presses itself into you from the right with what is called centripetal force.
However, most people regard the car as an inertial (which is wrong, because the car gets accelerated) and therefor fail to see the bigger picture, which then leads to the false assumption of a centrifugal force (uhg, that word, I'm using it again!
Equestria Space and Engineering Research Group (ESERG) sounds good to me but, I think that Twilight was right. You can spend years debating non-issues like this and it just stops you getting anything done.
I'd like to see some uniquely Equestrian answers to problems like a Pegasi First Stage (lots of Pegasi carry the vehicle up high until the time comes to use its' own propulsion system). I'd also love it if Apple Bloom's more... er... enthusiastically unsuccessful potion experiments leads to the development of Equestrian liquid fuelled rocketry.
Hehe. Pinkie Pie being a genius. With how fast her mind moves, and from S1E16 - Sonic Rainboom - where she immediately knew where to find a spell to give Rairty wings, or heck, in S1E2; "It was under 'E-eee!'"
She's smarter than she lets on. Ooooh, and hey, she did a thing near the beginning of Rainbow Rocks, too.
I'm definitely curious to see how their attempt to fly goes, thrusting themselves with just wingpower...
3535088 There were concepts of space suits before the Space Race. Science fiction. Mostly they looked like diving suits, though, and a lot of people thought gloves would be impossible so sometimes they had metal gripper things.
5107879 Exactly. Ooh, I've gotta see that still! I've had to be careful lately to avoid stumbling across spoilers.