What happens if you shoot a gun or cannon in space

In a galaxy far, far away, star wars are fought with lasers and blasters. However, all these are high technologies, the prototypes of which are just being developed on our planet, they are expensive and difficult to operate. It will take a long time before they are brought to mind.

But what if the aliens attack now? Obviously, to shoot back from them with the good old gunpowder weapons, which have proven themselves well for a long time. Let's assume what will happen if we apply this in Earth's orbit.

Most likely, you already know this, but just in case, we recall. This weapon shoots like this: the percussion mechanism knocks out a spark that ignites gunpowder or a similar substance. It burns out, expanding powder gases push the projectile out of the barrel, and it flies where it needs to. Or where it is not necessary - depending on how to aim.

Someone might say that burning in orbit is impossible because it needs oxygen, but it is not there. Does this mean that the shot will not happen?

No, modern weapons are quite capable of working.Can you fire a gun in space? / BBC Science Focus Magazine even in vacuum. The fact is that the ammunition produced now has its own oxidizing agent, which is located in a sealed cartridge along with gunpowder or other explosive mixture. So do not worry, you can do without atmospheric oxygen.

In space, if you look at it this way, shooting is even easier than on Earth. Firstly, the absence of an atmosphere will have a positive effect on the ballistic qualities of the bullet, since air resistance can be neglected. Secondly, you don’t have to screw on a silencer or put headphones on your head - no one will hear the sound of a shot anyway.

But, in essence, a shot in zero gravity will differ little from the usual one. Unless the smoke trail appears not cloud-like, as in the atmosphere, but sphericalWhat would happen if you shot a gun in space? /Live Science, because all particles will fly away from the muzzle at the same speed.

So you have captured rifle, a pistol or a light machine gun and stepped out of their spaceship to perform this purely scientific experiment. A (well, metaphorically) shot rang out. What will happen?

On most scientific and educational sites, you can find the statement that the projectile will fly into space and will wander through its expanses until the end of the universe.

But in fact, the results depend on the speed of the bullet. Usually the muzzle velocity for pistol cartridges isSpeed ​​of a Bullet / The Physics Factbook 370-460 m / s (numbers vary for different ammunition), for intermediate and rifle - up to 1,000 m / s. The record-breaking hunting cartridge 0.220 Swift can fire 1,200 m/s.

The first cosmic velocity for the Earth isSpace speeds / Astronet 7 910 m/s. That is, with it it is necessary to cut circles in the orbit of our unfortunate planet, so as not to fly away from it to infinity and, conversely, not to fall back.

Let's assume that's how you circle with your gun. The second cosmic velocity that must be gained in order to fly away from the Earth for good is 11,200 m/s. The difference between them is 3,300 m/s.

That is, if you shoot a bullet with a muzzle velocity of less than 3,300 m / s, it will not fly away into the depths of space.

The projectile will remain spinning in Earth's orbit. It's just that the apogee (upper point of the orbit) will be higher than yours, and the bullet will either take off or fall near our planet forever. Or at least for a very long time. Pass the parameters of the bullet's orbit to the astronauts with ISSso they don't accidentally get killed. However, they are no strangers to collisions with space debris.

Let's say we take ammunition with a larger initial velocity, but which one? Even if you bang120mm Ke‑W A1 Apfsds‑T / Military Technology from a tank gun with an armor-piercing feathered sub-caliber projectile, it will have this indicator somewhere around 1,700, maximum - 1,900 m / s, and this is a record. We don't reach 3300. In addition, we will have to wait until Elon Musk completes his Starship in order to take the tank to orbit.

But we can use the experimental 18-meter gas gun that we developedFastest Gun on Earth: Goals Go Beyond Planet - The New York Times Sandia National Laboratories engineers. Now NASA uses such weapons in its experiments to simulate in the laboratory the collision of spacecraft with debris and meteorites. It releases a charge at a speed of up to 8,500 m/s - and the record was generally 16,000 m/s.

And if you shoot from it, the projectile will still overcome the gravitational attraction of the Earth. And then, perhaps, the Sun - if you shoot in the direction opposite to the movement of our star system in the Milky Way. Then the bullet will finally fly awaySpacecraft Leaving the Solar System / Heavens Above away from us and will never return.

For comparison, the Voyager 1 spacecraft is flying out of the solar system at a speed of 16,951 m/s.

After a shot into the void, the bullet will wander through space forever.What would happen if you shot a gun in space? /Live Science, since the universe is expanding much faster than it flies. This means that the projectile will never encounter a more or less significant piece of matter that could slow it down. He simply does not have enough speed to catch up with any nebula or a star.

Keep in mind that a recoil shot will push the shooter and his gun in the opposite direction of the bullet's flight. All according to Newton's third law.

But do not worry, you will not fly away into the vast expanses of space, like your projectile, because the average person still weighs more than a bullet. And a spacesuit (which you probably put on) for extravehicular activity can even exceed a centner.

And even if an ultra-fast bullet from our experimental setup flies away at a speed of several kilometers per second, you will be dispersed in the opposite direction by no more than a meter or two. This, however, is enough to lose your spaceship, so tie yourself to it with a safety cable in advance.

The Soviet spacecraft Salyut-3 was the first in history in 1975 to produceA. A. Siddiqi. Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race several test shots from a 14.5 mm automatic cannon. Prepared to repel the alleged attacks of the American shuttles, nothing special. After each shot, the station corrected its position with orbital maneuvering engines.

As long as your spacesuit is equipped with an Astronaut Movement and Maneuvering Unit (UPMK), the recoil will not prevent you from maintaining a stable orbit.

But what is really worth fearing is the possibility of falling into yourself. If you fire a bullet from an ordinary pistol or rifle that is not capable of throwing a projectile outside the Earth's gravity well, it will come outWhat would happen if you shot a gun in space? /Live Science into an elliptical orbit, make a circle and return to the same place where it started.

True, in order to hit yourself in the back, you must take into account all the parameters of the bullet's orbit, because space is too big. So it’s unlikely that you will accidentally shoot yourself, but anything can happen.

But in general, shooting yourself in orbit is too difficult - the distances are literally cosmic, you can’t aim.

It's much easier to check it outWhat would happen if you shot a gun in space? /Space.comstanding on a high mountain on the surface of the moon. Provided that you placed the rifle strictly parallel to the surface and the muzzle velocity of the bullet is 1,600 meters per second. Or ratherFirst Space Velocity of the Moon / Calculator, 1 678 m/s is the first space for the Moon.

So you create a miniature satellite that will kill anyone who dares to climb this mountain. The main thing is that after the shot, immediately bend down and crawl away. And then you can declare the conquered peak yours, and no one will dare to take it away from you.