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View Full Version : Should guns be carried into space?



newyorklily
02-29-2012, 03:47 PM
Here is an interesting article about the results of shooting a bullet in space by Life's Little Mysteries Staff Writer, Natalie Wolchover

What Would Happen If You Shot a Gun in Space? (http://www.space.com/14650-gun-shoot-space.html)

She goes on to say:


Guns do actually get carried to space, though not quite to the void between galaxies. For decades, the standard survival pack for Russian cosmonauts has included a gun. Until recently, it wasn't just any gun, but "a deluxe all-in-one weapon (http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/2167-gun-shoot-space.html) with three barrels and a folding stock that doubles as a shovel and contains a swing-out machete," according to space historian James Oberg. The space guns are issued in case the cosmonauts need one back on Earth, so that they can protect themselves if emergency landing of their Soyuz spacecraft has left them deserted in a treacherous region. But still, cosmonauts in theory could shoot their guns before they landed.

I wonder if any American astronauts ever carried a gun in space.

Dragonfire
03-01-2012, 02:26 AM
Should guns be carried into space?

Well, I guess it could be a backup if your phazer and light sabre are malfunctioning

aragami
03-01-2012, 09:48 AM
discharging a concussive projectile weapon in zero gravity would be somewhat counter-productive.