How Would Guns Work In Space?

[@shawndonald78]

All I know is sniper distance records will be shattered.

[@badlandskid]

shawndonald78 goodbye coriolis effect and hello van allen belt.

[@pmcgee003]

... using planetary gravity assist ... It might require a degree in calculus on manifolds.

[@aliaseau-vive2699]

Shit... sniper with orbital gravity assistance...

[@sog__]

no bullet drop

[@janintelkor]

Your bullet could orbit whole planed and kill enemy beind you

[@carlkinder8201]

You can have my space gun when you pry it from my cold dead space hands.

[@rachelslur8729]

lol

[@lhtyeehaw1319]

Nah, I'm good, styropyro taught me how to make a lethal laser pointer,

[@thegovenor6166]

And even then i would have glued it to my cold dead hands

[@samarvora7185]

Your proposal is acceptable.

[@bobbowie5334]

Zero⁰ Kelvin?

[@blacktimhoward4322]

"Obviously you know, your homemade potato cannon wouldn't fire..." Me, who knows nothing about guns or how a potato cannon is made: *nods* Ah yes, obviously

[@crazydog2580]

i might be dumb af here but why wouldn't it? just add a little o2 in with the hair spray...

[@Bankable2790]

Potato guns don’t have closed pressurized containers used to store the fuel to oxidizer, whereas both rocket engines and bullets do. You can’t just “add a little O2”, it quickly disperses in space in a way it doesn’t here on earth

[@crazydog2580]

@@Bankable2790 ok now I'm not saying your wrong but every spud gun I've ever made is Air tight, using plumbing materials

[@cas8891]

I have no idea how a potato cannon works too doesnt it use like pressurized air or something? Why do you need oxidizer for that

[@Gerlige]

@@crazydog2580 Even then the problem is open barrel any pressurized fuel and oxidizer would disperse through that. And lets say you have projectile that completely fills up the barrel, then it is constantly pressed out of the barrel by any gas you use as oxidizer and fuel anyway.

[@vonneely1977]

"Sir Issac Newton is the deadliest son-of-a-btich in space!" One of my faborite scenes in Mass Effect.

[@thelostsparten]

With a close second being the reference to the Hunt for the Red October.

[@JonatasAdoM]

I came all the way down here for this

[@compmanio36]

deadliest SONOFABITCH in space

[@mistersimsim12]

Haha I'm glad I'm not the only one to have thought about this

[@vonneely1977]

Fixed.

[@Marinealver]

You call them cannons. I like to call them MASS-DRIVEN-RETRO-THRUSTERS!

[@ramonmedina2160]

Eletrocañon tor ecualizador rrealimentado de tras la misma fuerza spasex sin explosión nuclear fusión ⚡👀

[@OspreyKnight]

As I remember the Russians did test fire a mounted machine gun from one of their spacecraft. Also, while I don't think there is any use for a 9mm pistol on current spacecraft, but a survival weapon is a great idea. Nothing fancy, a double barreled 12 gauge with a selection of slugs and flare. Something kept in the survival kit to keep bears away through the night while rescuers get to you. So many people are used to help being close at hand. We forget how remote some corners of our own back yard are. I live in Utah and travel into the deserts and mountains to do photography, I've had several experiences that force me to carry a large handgun with me to protect myself against moose and mountain lions, and a rifle if I'm going far enough out. Ironically, my biggest fear when I'm out past 100 miles of outside any town or populated area are people

[@lukewarmwater6412]

the russian space capsule kit includes a similar weapon to what you describe for exactly the reason you said it was needed. sometimes they landed in the middle of freaking nowhere and there are alot of bears in russia.. apparently.

[@dcb1138]

Indeed they did. One of their space stations was armed with a non-reloadable weapon on the outside. They tested it in space and it worked.

[@maxnoerenberg6370]

I believe its very unlikely that you would encounter a bear in space ha ha

[@GasGunsGod]

It feels Damn good and comfortable to have a piece on you to protect yourself from people and animals alike. The state of mind is much better.

[@kasumikojiro7221]

@@maxnoerenberg6370 You may however encounter a whale . As we know from "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy".

[@duncanmcneill7088]

I like the idea of a “sod off” double barrelled shotgun - something for discouraging trespassers.

[@adamdouglasspaulding2874]

Underrated comment 😂

[@EVBud69]

Sawed off

[@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958]

I like the play on words sod off, are you British?

[@duncanmcneill7088]

Nine Hundred Dollar Luxury Yacht - exceedingly British old chap.

[@pirobot668beta]

I love the English language.

[@MattMcIrvin]

I remember being surprised when Samantha Cristoforetti mentioned offhand that they don't carry the gun in the survival kit any more. I figure part of the reason is just that GPS and better communication and tracking tech make it much less likely that rescue teams will take a long time to get to a Soyuz that came down in some remote place. They know exactly where the thing is from the moment it lands. So fending off bears isn't as much of an issue, and there's less risk of not having the gun to balance against the safety risk of having it there. Having a gun on the Space Station seemed like it was a mystery novel waiting to happen, though.

[@hardergamer]

I thought it was because there hasn't been any new Alien/Aliens film in a long time... Then I remembered Prometheus! lol

[@mypenisisincrediblysmallbu2667]

Amogus

[@alfromwork]

Chekhov’s law

[@johnperry5396]

Yeah, this is the site I go to to discover that Roald Dahl introduced ninjas to the western world. Best site ever.

[@DeusSalis]

😂 it was cool learning that

[@antiHUMANDesigns]

One difference is that, in space, a pistol would be equally lethal at point blank or at 100 miles range, since there's no air resistance. :P

[@DBZHGWgamer]

In space, lethality isn't an issue. Once it punctures your suit, you are dead no matter what.

[@antiHUMANDesigns]

DivideByZero It would be an issue if there was air resistance. At some distance it would lose enough speed to not even be able to pucture a pressure suit. Either case, you're missing the point. In most space shooter games, ballistic weapons have a range limit, and it doesn't make sense.

[@DBZHGWgamer]

antiHUMANDesigns I haven't played any space shooter games where ballistic weapons have a range limit. Granted, the only space shooter i have played is Halo.

[@antiHUMANDesigns]

DivideByZero I mean the ones where you fly a space ship, for example. Everspace, Elite: Dangerous, those kinds.

[@DBZHGWgamer]

antiHUMANDesigns I don't believe Elite Dangerous has range limits on ballistic guns.

[@TheNameOfJesus]

If the barrel of the Gyrojet had some extra friction built into it, the gun could be designed to pull you forward. It could be called anti-re-coil, or just coil, to remove the double negative. It could pull the two opposing shooters closer together, resulting in the need to add BAYONETS to the front of the gun once they get pulled together into hand-to-hand combat.

[@TheRealCharlesPeshek]

TheAbc45678 well done. I’m saving this.

[@TheNameOfJesus]

@@TheRealCharlesPeshek Wow, what a compliment, thanks. I try.

[@biffroberts8133]

You would just to worry about being struck by a bullet that was fired in war 300 years earlier.

[@skepticmoderate5790]

Space debris is already a concern, and the relative velocities are comparable to bullets.

[@floo1465]

skeptic moderate Comparable? Not close. Bullets are usually supersonic, but space debris is hypersonic.

[@ok8012]

@@floo1465 if you're already at orbital velocities then it would still be hypersonic though

[@Electricfox]

The Soviet Almaz had a 23mm rapid-fire cannon mounted on it, taken from the back-end of a Tu-22 bomber. They test fired one on Salyut 3 to see if the vibration would cause any problems.

[@StoneCresent]

You forgot to mention that the Soviets flew a 23mm Rikher cannon on their secretive Almaz space stations. One Almaz, OPS-2 (better known as Salyut 3), even test fired its gun in space after its crew left.

[@duradim1]

But the crew survived.

[@spb1179]

I want to see a video or article on this

[@StephenGillie]

What did they shoot at - grey aliens?

[@caav56]

@@StephenGillie Into atmosphere, to avoid making too much space junk.

[@David-eh9le]

duradim1 they left before as said.

[@DanielWalters]

This PSA was brought to you by the United States Space Force "Be Best, Space Force"

[@javibermejo1530]

Colonial Space Marines are about to hit

[@mcgillicuddy74]

Tuck Frump 2020

[@bobcoleman9045]

Space Force 2020 baby

[@combativeThinker]

McGillicuddy7 Pasco You wish, NPC.

[@s.sradon9782]

we're gonna dab on em space treaties and tax payers soooo hard man!

[@KhanggiTanka]

The Gyrojet shoots the whole bullet so 65% more bullet per bullet

[@sungyunkim7450]

portal turrets**

[@hellcatdave1]

All firearms fire the entire bullet...

[@HaloPwNnCrab]

They're talking about the casings

[@hellcatdave1]

Hippy Lemonz I know that, but they're using improper terminology.

[@HaloPwNnCrab]

DavidMN Fair enough

[@SpecialEDy]

My homemade potato cannon would work fine. It's pneumatic, you charge it with compressed air. Only problem is the potato freezing and the water sublimating, so the seal on the bore of the barrel would be crappy.

[@_leonzuniga2614]

Special EDy since it is compressed air wouldn't that mean it will not work since there is no air in space?

[@emmett050]

Compressed air would work in space. It would have less power due to the cold temperatures causing the gas to compress in the chamber (Because you'd have to fill it outside of space). Also assuming you charge it with air, you'd only have one shot.

[@SpecialEDy]

NotTheFeesh But it would also have a ~14psi increase in pressure differential in a vacuum if charged from the same source. What happens to the integrity of PVC in extreme temperatures probably wouldn't be safe though, and the nylon seal on the valve may not function safely.

[@emmamay3820]

"Boil 'em. Mash 'em. Stick 'em in a stew. Fire them out of a tube in space."

[@richsabatina5045]

Special EDy You charge a potato gun with hair spray or starter fluid, some type of flammable liquid in an aerosol can form.

[@Krakenslayer23]

In space almost every hit would be a one shot.

[@Scotch20]

well if you really think about it between microgravity and an already range of motion limiting suit, if they wanted to they could make a quite armored pressures suit

[@qqq1701]

How about using your gun as an emergency propulsion system?

[@scottmanley]

You can get 1.5m/s of delta V by expending the full clip from an M-16

[@vovacat1797]

Scott Manley Sometimes it's enough to get yourself deorbited, and that can save you. I've played KSP, i know how valuable that 1,5m/s can be

[@spooksy9212]

*magazine

[@S0mnambulist-667]

if it has a spring in it it's a clip but i'm no gun expert so don't quote me

[@Suedocode]

(3:15) is where he mentions it.

[@Slavir_Nabru]

Need to worry about gravity less if firing a gun on the moon? That'd depend on what gun you just fired, you might want to start worrying a lot about two hours later....

[@scottmanley]

At the back of the Meanderings report they figure out that max theoretical range is hundreds of miles.

[@petrodeloro]

Well... Yes. Great joke there!

[@achillesa5894]

in thousands of years, an alien gets killed by a stray bullet xD

[@petrodeloro]

They killed our Emperor! War!

[@frederf3227]

It would need to be going escape velocity ~11km/s. ISS is going ~7km/s so the bullet would have to be fired prograde at ~4km/s or retrograde at 15km/s. The fastest conventional bullet goes ~2km/s which would be a larger but still closed orbit.

[@rice0009]

Not a good idea to shoot a bear on the ISS with a 9mm. it just makes them mad!

[@TheTeufelhunden68]

@blackrave404 Yes! That first test of a bear on the vomit comet was less than successful. It literally tore the shit out of the crew. At least it managed to land without incident. If it went to the ISS, I don't think it could bring a Soyuz back.

[@dss1095]

@blackrave404 Maybe the bear made it's way on a Ukrainian based rocket that was programmed to dock on the ISS!

[@EarthAltar]

The right to arm bears shall not be infringed!

[@justafellowbrother7263]

@@TheTeufelhunden68 a bear on a zero G plane? Real or not, please tell me more

[@gorillaau]

No one wants to see someone bare on the ISS either.

[@felixfrederickarchery877]

A point I think you missed, many automatic weapons, including your example the m16, use gas systems to cycle the bolt and chamber a new cartridge for firing. These systems usually have vent holes to stop damaging parts of the gun due to too much pressure and, in the vacuum of space, I'd assume the pressure difference would suck these gasses produced by the propellant out before being able to move the bolt. I also think that the pressure difference wouldn't allow for much gas to go through the port in the barrel as the bullet has usually left by that point.

[@lautrectheembraced1347]

hurra for recoil based reloading mechanisms!

[@tehllama42]

The pressure differential is pretty massive anyway, so going from 1ATM to ~0ATM at the gas system vents isn't going to meaningfully change the way they function. The seal between the (typically copper) jacketing is adequate that the internal ballistics isn't going to change drastically either (slightly improve actually). Look at some of Larry Vickers KZbin Super-SloMo videos, and you'll get an intuitive understanding of what I'm on about, the excess gas from the propellant drive everything, and it's hitting 12,000psi under optimal circumstances, and the camming action required to unlock the bolt prior to the gas key (and carrier) moving back means sufficient impulse will be imparted to the bolt carrier-buffer parts before any of those other factors become relevant. What will happen in short order is some massive overheating, quickly leading to cookoff conditions.

[@felixfrederickarchery877]

tehllama42 thanks for the info

[@felixfrederickarchery877]

cy portm I'm going to assume straight and delayed blowback would work too

[@beefstew78]

Felix Freidrick Archery I was in the army so I know a thing or two about gas powered weapons the round itself is air tight. when the cap I struck by the firing pin it ignites the powder and the gas in the round. that gas is what pushes the bolt back hens (gas powered) . after the gas leaves the weapon the buffer spring pushes the bolt back forward and chambers the next round. the only escape for that gas is the barrel so the bolt would have to go back and the spring would always push it foward. so minus all the science about metal welding itself in space and how the cold would effect it. the weapon would not be effected functionally. short answer bullets have everything they need to power a gun contained in an airtight casing.

[@davej3781]

This reminds me of the scene in Firefly, episode 6 "Our Mrs. Reynolds" where they needed to shoot a target outside the ship using a rifle from the de-pressurized cargo bay (Firefly-class transports have no mounted weapons you see). The chosen weapon, lovingly named "Vera" by the ship's brute Jayne Cobb, reportedly "won't fire without oxygen around her" and they didn't "have a case for her". I wondered at the time, why not? The weapons used by most civilians especially in the outer planets appear to use conventional cartridge ammunition familiar to any of us living 500 years prior (i.e. now), so should have no problem firing in a vacuum. They might not cycle properly, might overheat after a few shots, might encounter other mechanical issues due to any of the various reasons Mr. Manley mentioned in the video, but they ought to fire just fine at least a couple of times. So they stuck Vera inside a spacesuit, and Jayne made a near-impossible single shot to save the ship even though he couldn't aim the weapon using any of its sights. Then, after the first shot broke the helmet's visor and vented the oxygen from the suit, he fired 3 more times with Vera in full vacuum to break a window on the bad guys' space station and vent them into space. And they all lived happily ever after, at least until the movie when some of them didn't.

[@blacktimhoward4322]

My summary of that episode is a lot shorter. I always got distracted for some reason...

[@davej3781]

@@blacktimhoward4322 didn't get past the special hell, did you?

[@blacktimhoward4322]

@@davej3781 🔥🔥🔥

[@michaelbuckers]

Carrying a gun is like carrying a backup parachute: you don't need it 99.9% of the time, but there's this 1 time in a 1000 and it will catch up to you, and then you'll deeply regret your decision not to have it.

[@filipskotnica971]

Absolutely, couldn't agree more - it's like a medkit in your car, or insurance

[@parajacks4]

Mi 28 And yet the bullet that kills you is most likely to come from your own gun...

[@filipskotnica971]

@@parajacks4 Good point, but only applies to irresponsible people... Carry a weapon, and carry it responsibly.

[@worldtraveler930]

Amen.

[@gailraby1722]

I've never needed a parachute, in 54 years I've never even been close to needing one, your analogy is like cooking a fish and expecting beef.. it makes no sense. Carrying a gun is about as useful as carrying a parachute on the subway or a guitar into a burning building. You sir are a fool.

[@sphinx2k210]

The multi-camera angles are a nice touch to help with all the face time, well done.

[@bigimskiweisenheimer8325]

Also, the spent shells floating around could get quite annoying very quickly

[@Schwarzvogel1]

That could easily be solved by using caseless ammunition or by using some sort of revolver. Or perhaps even by taping a Tupperware container over the ejection port to prevent the empty casings from floating around you.

Weaponised Kerbals...oh dear lol Regarding the '9mm vs bear' situation, i'm reminded of Blazing Saddles, when Bart picks up his gunbelt to go deal with Mungo, Jim stops him saying " No, no no, don't do that-if you shoot him you'll just make him mad!"

[@rowdyzack5914]

Underwood ammo makes a hardcast lead 9mm round which is about as good vs. bears as any handgun will be. I'd prefer a 12ga slug, though...

[@ShadowDragon8685]

You mentioned bulky space suits in this video, Scott. Maybe you'll do a video on the future-suits, the thin-suit ones that use mechanical pressure (basically space-rated spandex) instead of inflation? Those would be really, really cool, if they work.

[@scottmanley]

Mechanical pressure suits, better known as Partial Pressure suits, have been around since WWII. Joe Kittinger's famous jump from 100,000 feet had him wearing such a suit.

[@TheBibliofilus]

Minus one glove which malfunctioned if i remember right..

[@MisterSquid1]

Scott Manley in space engineers you can use guns to propel also theres a campaign scot

[@Setsuraful]

If you can wait till around the year 30,000, the Imperium of Man will invent the boltgun.

[@victorgigante5374]

Isn't that basically a Gyrojet on steroids?

[@MoreEvilThanYahweh]

Setsuraful The better example would be autoguns (our firearms fall under the slugthrower category) or lasguns.

[@Setsuraful]

Autoguns are essentially conventional firearms, they would have the same issues as current weapons with the recoil, lasguns would work too but i was thinking more about the fact that bolter weapons are basically gyrojets on steroids.

[@MoreEvilThanYahweh]

Setsuraful Nah m8, autoguns use futuretech caseless ammo and methods compared to slugthrowers. Autoguns were standard issue for the Imperial Army up the 30th millennium before the lasgun finally reached enough units to phase it out. It wouldn't be allowed to have the same issues real guns have and still be standard issue for a significant duration of the Great Crusade.

[@a-blivvy-yus]

Did none of you notice that a lot of 40K artwork, and many of the models, have the soldiers either "shooting from the hip" or crouching (as if behind cover) when using the weapon sights? Maybe the real-world physics of autogun recoil could explain that. Conventional modern weapons would only impart sufficient rotational impulse BECAUSE they're being held away from the centre of mass. By holding the weapon closer to that point, you'll be much better able to handle the recoil of the weapon in a low-G or zero-G environment.

[@Kumquat_Lord]

I do love how the Expanse series even has the teeny detail of self-propelled projectile weapons just for zero-G combat Also, Gyrojet ammo, anyone?

[@numnut1516]

Kumquat Lord he mentioned gyrojet in the video

[@tomcline5631]

If you're asking about availability,there ain't none except the original ammo from waaay back when they produced the guns. They're crap guns anyway. Tourfladermouse did a test shoot of one and they were just ridiculous.

[@ChadHHC86]

-250F = -156.667 C 250F = 121.111 C

[@anekdoche7055]

thanks m8

[@abnegazher]

Someone: Speaks "Gyro-Jet ammunition" Me: *BOLTERS, BROTHERS!*

[@timbob1145]

So glad this comment was here otherwise I was gonna have to inform the inquisition of these disgusting xenos and their heretical theft of imperial technology.

[@70briareos]

The sci-fi writer Harry Harrison (same guy who wrote the original novel the movie Soylent Green was based on) wrote a short story back in the 60's titled "No War, Or Battle's Sound". In it he basically designed an entire arsenal of weapons that worked in zero G and hard vacuum. It was mostly melee weapons, with guns being relegated to just static machine gun emplacements that the space troopers would bolt down onto the deck (or bulkheads) of the ship.

[@RLCypher]

Shattered Horizon is the FPS with the most accurate representation of space infantry combat and recoil I've ever played. Your EVA suit would compensate for recoil. You could turn off your EVA suit systems to hide from enemy sensors, but any movement you made while aiming could start you spinning, and shooting would definitely start you on a rotation as well as altering your velocity. Even with the suit stability on, you couldn't get more than one quick shot off in the same spot with a sniper rifle unless you were anchored to something by your boots, it had too much kick. I'm not sure if the game is still active though, it's multiplayer only, but it might be worth checking out, even if you just want to check out the physics.

[@OspreyKnight]

Its been dead forever, sad because it really was a great game.

[@chrismusix5669]

Everyone knows Vera needs air to fire.

[@transcendentape]

Damn I miss that show.

[@narrator69]

I hear ya.

[@vaulthecreator]

+RobynHarris The apemangonewrongthing XD

[@californianconservative6050]

do you mean oxygen?

[@tylerthegrimm]

firefly should have never been canceled

[@vikkimcdonough6153]

6:30 - If I've got my numbers right, that would be -157C to +121C.

[@irrefudiate]

I love it when a "metric man" can't relate.

[@rattywoof5259]

@@irrefudiate That's because the non-metric units are so oddball that the arithmetic isn't so easy.

[@irrefudiate]

@@rattywoof5259 Yeah. I grew up with the concept of a mile's distance, a quarter, an eighth, in my brain. A kilometer is a fraction of a mile. I have to convert it in my brain to get a sense of the actual distance.

[@azyjmexcuseokstop924]

@@irrefudiate i honestly think that the fact that the usa use their own units is just annoying. Like, cmon people there have been countless problems caused by differences between systems, like yall remember the stories of the failed takeoffs due to mistranslations; plus the simple inconvenience of converting nonsensical units and all that shit bugs me out. People, when the fucking hell are you gonna start using the fucking international system ?

[@TheCaptNoname]

@@azyjmexcuseokstop924, considering the situation the USA is currently dealing with, you can easily convert them to the metric units by saying the imperial units are racist hence they are brought in and popularized by the British Empire, which was making great use of Atlantic slave trade. *_"Oh yes. Delightfully devilish, Seymour"_*

[@apertureemployee215]

Didn't the Salyut 3 space station have a fixed machine gun that was fired several times as a test?

[@Tuning3434]

+Eagle262 I'm pretty sure Salyut 3 / Almaz 2 had an fixed automatic canon. It apparently wasn't fired when the station was manned, but shots where fired after the last crewed mission left. (unfortunately Wiki is pretty vague about it, and I cannot be bothered to do a wild fact-checking goose chase). Aiming was done by re-orientating the station.

[@Combatsmithen]

They essentially took the tailgun off a Russian Bomber and shoved it on a space station to defend the station from a space shuttle that could possibly come up and snatch it

[@kalzsom7128]

Except the shuttle didn't exist back then.

[@Tuning3434]

Dragon It was in case a mean Capitalistic Pig Apollo spacecraft would try to capture the fine Stronk Sovjet engineering.

[@stinkyfungus]

23mm autocannon

[@murplesman]

Great video! I think the second camera felt strange, but maybe that's just me.

[@HALLish-bl3bm]

I think it's a reference to a lot of military documentaries which tend to do this to their experts, for some reason.

[@JonatasAdoM]

+HALL9000ish Weird

[@rmzfm]

Not only you, it was quite disturbing. The video was great tho.

[@kansascityshuffle8526]

That was a strange football camera

[@thecashier930]

I hope it's a reference. It feels really weird. Especially because it's for such a big part of the video.

[@Psycorde]

The Expanse books describe space fight with firearms in detail, and yeah, they basically use smart jetpacks to compensate for recoil

[@ShamblerDK]

-250F = ~ -157C +250F = ~ 121C

[@dphorgan]

Thanks. Because metric trolls are too stupid to convert.

[@David-eh9le]

David Horgan lol we can. Just imperial jerks cant for the most time

[@psychopathicroach9615]

@@dphorgan Actually we can. You convert it like that: a°C *5/9 + 32 = b°F (c°F - 32) *9/5 = d°C

[@_tyrannus]

What would be the Δv of a GAU-8, ignoring all the issues of overheating or getting an A-10 to space? Curious, but I suck at math.

[@TheZombieOfDrake]

turarwanaa The gun (by itself, with ammo and feed system but no aircraft) has a dV of 629 m/s, assuming a full load of 1,174 30x173mm rounds. A complete A-10 would have a dV of only 74 m/s.

[@_tyrannus]

Thanks! That's still quite an impressive recoil. o_o

[@damstachizz]

74m/s purely off the gun is pretty bloody impressive, the A-10 isn't exactly light

[@BSc2b]

Well, you could even go to space with it, considering its recoil: what-if.xkcd.com/21/

[@851852093114208513]

What about the Henschel 129 B-3, which had an autoloading 75mm anti-tank cannon strapped to the bottom of it?

[@Koyomix86]

My life is complete now that I know that war hammer blotters are real.

[@JeroenDStout]

After this I feel we are all ready for the Lindybeige-Manley crossover event.

[@inthefade]

That would surely be a top-10 anime crossover.

[@wonkachocolates6133]

"Cosmic AK-47" ...sounds like a great Indy song...!!

[@Bunndog]

Sounds like a csgo skin

[@rhodes3983]

The solution to all problems with firearms in space: Use electromagnetic weapons. I saw some people build handhelt rail- and coilguns.

[@joshuacheung6518]

If anything that might make the problems worse...

[@user2C47]

Or just fire the energy. With today's technology, the weapon would have to run off the ship's power through a capacitor array.

[@TheArchaos]

Didn't the Russians mount a 20 mm autocannon onto one of their spacestations?

[@Guncon22]

Yes they did and they fired it remotely.

[@chantelnadjiwon7585]

I thought it was a 12.7 DShK

[@NikoMoraKamu]

www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a18187/here-is-the-soviet-unions-secret-space-cannon/

[@jlutz5469]

yeah en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salyut_3 sounds like it was fixed to the station and not able to pivot

[@vonneely1977]

LazyLife IFreak Russia mounts 20mm autocannons to their porta-potties. They're kinda nuts that way. :)

[@KriLL325783]

Yes, the propellant contains oxidizer, relying on atmospheric oxygen isn't practical, you couldn't get combustion at the required rate. The recoil making you spin problem could probably be solved by counteracting the force using maneuvering thrusters on your suit a bit like MMU/SAFER, probably could be set up to do it in an automated fashion.

[@HrothgarHeavenlight]

They were succesfully russian test on armed space station in 70 or 80s. That "Star Wars warfare" project.

[@builder396]

Actually you could make a muzzle brake that uses the escaping propellant to apply counter-torque. It just needs to be shaped a but differently from a normal muzzle brake.

[@lautrectheembraced1347]

Not that the rotational issue couldn't be solved by simply adjusting your center of mass in relation to the axis of your barrel by kneeling or even lying on the ground. Though I heard somewhere that "lunar dust" was a serious issue during missions on the surface of the moon, probably from Scott Manley:) I propose a weapon that fires it's rounds similar to a Panzerfaust, eg: you don't just fire one projectile out the front of your barrel but rather a second (or even more?) projectile made out of something rather non lethal like sand with the same weight as your bullet that fires in the reverse direction on the same axis of your lethal projectile to gain an equilibrium of forces applied to the user. god dammit, why am I even thinking so far..

[@Kepe]

That's exactly what Scott said in the video -_-

[@lautrectheembraced1347]

huh, guess I wasn't listening that close after the thought train took of to sci-fi western on the moon :):):)

[@pyrotek40]

You can see the Gyrojet being fired on TAOFLEDERMAUS channel, it looks really cool in slow motion...

[@dlt074]

“Weapons Free” has some other meanings as well.

[@zchen27]

So the best gun in space is an Astartes bolter?

[@Marth667]

For now at least. Once lasguns are more practical, you'll see more of them around. No recoil or should be no recoil at all. Light speed shots. And potentially burning through pressure suits and putting a neat little hole in the person being shot. I mean 19mm HEAP shots are overkill. Cool as fuck. But overkill for sure

[@Narfwak]

well, they lost the STC fragment for making volkite ray guns, so bolters will have to do

[@Marth667]

Robert Stuckey True enough stealthy options are indeed possible. You could, to make your crossbows even more lethal have shotgun shells on the end of the bolts to make them into improvised bang sticks. Your proposal is much more practical. As far as heat goes its a fantasy weapon currently so who knows what solution may be devised. But once laser guns are invented light speed shots you cant argue with. No leading the target. No recoil. And potentially rapid fire

[@nathanbrown8680]

Lasers are actually pretty horrible for vacuum use. They dispense with the recoil problem that isn't actually that bad in favor of making the heat problem far worse.

[@Marth667]

Nathan Brown Could you elaborate a little? How are lasers horrible in a vacuum? I agree that current tech for lasers create heat that can melt some particulars of the weapon system. However up until recently rail guns were unfeasible due to the barrels warping after a few shots as a result of friction from the projectile moving though the barrel. Now the yanks are currently testing rail guns on their warships this year and next they will be deployed for combat roles. If humanity thinks they can achieve something they reach out and do it. Like its damn near instinctive

[@patman0250]

And the momentum of a bullet is not like having a ball thrown at you. It depends what you mean by momentum as well, obviously an already fired bullet doesn't gain momentum, but the momentum already imparted on the bullet from the initial shot is what gives the kinetic energy imparting it to the bullet. The mass of the bullet just tells you basically how much kinetic energy is going to have depending on how fast it's going.

[@Moondog-wc4vm]

I refer you to the ATAR as imagined by Ian Douglas (William H. Keith, Jr.) in his heritage trilogy. The weapon may have been subject to jams and the welding of ammunition as he describes it, but it was designed to be seated in the pressure suit directly over the body's centre of mass and targeting was provided by HUD in the pressure suit visor. I believe that firing was remotely controlled thereby bypassing the clumsiness of pressure suit gloves. As attempts to provide a reasonable space weapon by science fiction authors go, this was one of the better thought out ones as it takes into account the limitations of 'slug throwers' and attempts to show the downside of the weapon as well as it's lethal capacity within the storyline.

[@pennicuik]

-156.667°C to 121.111°C for my metric minded friends :D

[@monsterbash9758]

That cold welding phenomenon makes me want to build a vacuum chamber to try and make it happen down here on Earth.

[@AlC92575]

I think the biggest problem with guns in space would be heat dissipation.

[@sawyernorthrop4078]

M2HB profile barrel on a pistol

[@wotwott2319]

So you're telling me that we have enough technology to develop Bolter rifles but we didn't..?

[@bakuya99]

Yep and we have the technology for hand held rail guns and rifles. I mean why not make it yourself.

[@wotwott2319]

Bakuya99 who said anything about handheld rail guns and rifles?

[@bakuya99]

Harith Azmi We have the technology to make bolter rifles we can technically go further.

[@OutCastsHope]

Gyrojet weapons have been around for a while.

[@toomanyaccounts]

just no one has really worked on them since the 1960s.

[@Mike_Honcho_8653]

I'll take me good ole Warhammer 40k .75 caliber Space Marine Bolter thank you. They fire gyrojet rounds fyi.

[@Jarmundx]

All hail the emperor

[@audiogarden21]

"What'er you doin' with a gun in space...?"

[@trishooty4513]

In case of space dementia or mutinies while nuking asteroids, of course...

[@djvendetta2325]

I'd shoot a few holes in each solar panel of the iss

[@geegaw14]

Armageddon?

[@audiogarden21]

@@geegaw14 Bingo.

[@utharkruna1116]

And it seems you've collected a very impressive record collection. Wow.

[@TriMarkC]

Uthark Runa I was thinking that too

[@utharkruna1116]

@@TriMarkC would love to see what he has.

[@luggilu7864]

For the recoil problem, you can use a compensator. Demo ranch once demonstrated a compensate with a bunch of holes you can plug to your liking, while this doenst do anything about the pushback, it can help to negate the spinning you'd feel as you're gun is above the center of gravity so the gun pushes you backwards and up but with the compensator pushing the gun and in extension you down, that's not an issue. For fighting on the moons surface, you could use weighted uniforms or for combat in open space maybe in a few years something like that "jetpack" (for a lack of a more appropriate English word) from gravity (don't know if it actually exists, but it seemed plausible) sure getting hit would fuck up the jetpack and send you flying onto the unknown, but when we are talking about a bullet that won't slow down due to air resistance, and you being in a space suit in a vacuum in the most hostile environment there is to life, one bullet is probably gonna be it anyways

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

I always figured that the lubricants, in a conventional firearm, would evaporate fairly quickly, causing the mechanisms to seize up. Only a weapon designed to work in a vacuum could be reliable.

[@defroes6792]

There are many guns that will run 'dry'. Both the AR-15 and AK patterns are capable of running dry, though the AK will handle it better due to looser design tolerances resulting in more space between parts. So long as any interfacing surfaces are finished to the appropriate smoothness there shouldn't be any problems running them without lubricants. A far more likely issue with gas operated (the majority of modern self-loaders) firearms is chamber, barrel and gas block/tube pressures equalizing much faster and potentially causing extraction issues.

[@ThatsMrPencilneck2U]

@@defroes6792 No matter how hard you work at cleaning a gun, more oil oozes out of the microscopic pits in the steel, carrying with it more filth. You're never done cleaning a fire arm; it just looks good for the moment. I'm sure some of that oil would remain near the surface for some time, but very quickly, surfaces that used to be as slick as silk would rub like sandpaper.

[@TheNowylepszyszatan]

Worth to noticed is that the Russian Almaz space station were equiped with modified anti-aircraft cannon, and it was tested in space. I think it was the only armed space station ever.

[@frankmueller2781]

I was thinking that the next U.S. space station should have a US Navy Railgun included, only just for plinking asteroids.

[@sumreensultana1860]

@@frankmueller2781 It could be used against Anything else aswel

[@frankmueller2781]

@@sumreensultana1860('Shhhhhhh!!! We weren't going to say that part out loud!')

[@efishe22292]

One thing to consider is that gun recoil is only determined by the weight of the projectile factored into how fast it is being accelerated... with less gravity, there will be that same ratio less of recoil

[@73h73373r357]

My center of mass lines up with my eyes. Mama always told me that I was big headed.

[@ocadioan]

I wouldn't be as worried about the gun throwing me backwards, as I would be worried about it sending me spinning. Anyone familiar with KSP knows that normal velocity can be easily countered, but spinning requires extra precautions.

[@justiceforjoggers2897]

Oh good god the spinning

[@wilhelmtaylor9863]

A small issue: the sights need to be aligned perfectly with the barrel since there is no "drop" to the round. Probably want a bag on the gun to collect the shells. Where does the propellant end up? Make the gun out of the same material as the space shuttle tiles - they can take the heat and you can get them past the detectors.

[@cpt_bill366]

What about Salyut 3 & Almaz, no mention of their 23mm defensive instrument?

[@PabloGonzalez-hv3td]

Is that a tank in a vapor cone? 🤣

[@OverlordZephyros]

QUESTION!!!!! what would be better then? plasma weapons (assuming those work) laser weapons or slug weapons?

[@OverlordZephyros]

anyone?

[@brynmurrell5475]

The heat problems will only be exacerbated w/ laser/plasma weapons, assuming that they're even feasible in the first place. We have issues with size and cooling of lasers on earth - Darpa's laser weapons have MASSIVE cooling systems, and are only really useful when mounted on a ship. In all likelihood, if we're talking about small arms, projectile-based weaponry would still be the standard.

[@JohnyG29]

Lord Zephyros it's basically better not to try and kill anyone in space. maybe we could try that on earth too eh?

[@gloowacz]

gauss/coil guns - no friction, no heat, variable and easily adjustable muzzle velocity, much simpler rechamber mechanism (no need to use gas pressure to operate the breech, just electric servo) benign ammunition that does not pose risk of exploding in storage... the advantages are too many to list them all. the only problem is supplying enough voltage (usually in hundreds of thousands of volts) to operate the weapon. One idea i had was using something like this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Explosively_pumped_flux_compression_generator as a power source - then you have two ammunition sources - one is the slug that is being fired, and then you have a EPFCG or EDFEG to provide power at the moment of firing. Still unwieldy, but better then carrying a power plant and tesla coil with you.

[@DamianReloaded]

don't you try to take my ability to murder away from me :'(

[@johno9507]

In 1974 the Soviet Salut 3 space station had a Rikhter R-23 23mm autocannon that was test fired by ground control while no crew was on board. It was fixed to the station and aimed by station thrusters. It apparently caused a massive vibration throughout the station.

[@fomnik9276]

check Salyut-3 Soviet station. it had on board space minigun.

[@jasonwarner9387]

You account for the buffer spring in the M16 when you figured your recoil the M16 has a recoil absorption method using a buffer spring and some gas tubes so I think that maybe you're over estimating the recoil. It's almost like the M16 was designed to be used on the moon. Either way, I loved my m16a2

[@vikumwijekoon3166]

well recoil in earth and space will be different, in space the net velocity change needs to be equaled out one way or another

[@sawyernorthrop4078]

I think the birdcage is more relevant here

[@jager6863]

First off, great channel, very informative and entertaining. You pretty much covered all the points of "Guns in Space", except for the biggest gun, that we know of, ever to be orbited. The 23mm cannon was actually orbited and test fired on the Almaz space station in 1970s, designated the R-23M Kartech. "Almaz" or "Diamond" was a secret version of Soviet space stations designed for military purposes and orbited with the Salyut designation to disguise its true purpose, a total of 3 of the 7 Salyut space stations were actually military Almaz units.. The R-23M cannon was actually installed and test fired from the Salyut-3, prior to de-orbit. The tests are still classified, but they reportedly fired 20 rounds and scored a hit on an improvised target, a used gas canister, hitting it from a mile away. The station used its thrusters to compensate for the recoil of the cannon.

[@Kilroy.6644]

Salyut 3 test fired a 23 or 30mm cannon in LEO

[@warmachandchee8872]

Don't forget Walmart sells guns

[@sebastiankohleroberg2980]

War Mach and chee does it seriously?!

[@warmachandchee8872]

The one I go to does

[@halo360geek]

Sebastian Köhler Öberg yeah some walmarts have weapons for sale, for me it's near fishing/hunting section.

[@flabbywall1780]

War Mach and chee time to go shopping

[@johnnyfedpost1776]

War Mach and chee Walmart only sells shitty stupid "liberal approved" guns... they stopped selling AR-15's and semi automatic shotguns back in 2012. I know this because I worked the sporting goods department at a Walmart, and you have to know this information in case a customer asks

[@FredtheDorfDorfman1985]

A well designed muzzle brake would help some with the recoil of a conventional rifle. The rocket projectile rifle is a cool idea. If nothing else, a rifle version of the Carl Gustav recoiless system might work, as long as no friendly assets are behind it. RPG's with Dual Purpose, and tandem DP, warheads would certainly be one hell of a weapon on the Moon, especially if the frag pellets are tungsten, and the soldier firing it can use a laser rangefinder and program it to detonate at a certain range. Claymores would be bad ass on the Moon too. The center of gravity issue for rifles could be solved using hip shooting, and a rifle camera sending an aiming image to the soldier's eye piece, or helmet face plate screen.

[@pretentiousdude]

How about a liquid cooled bullpup coilgun with either an open trigger guard or button firing tungsten bolts?

[@Jarmundx]

^This

[@BSJinx]

"What are you doing with a gun in space?"

[@embracethesuck1041]

Archer would have an epic response to that question.

[@geegaw14]

Armageddon?

[@chrisw5150]

Spear fishing guns would tear it up out there

[@andreww2098]

The Soviet Union also had an armed spy space station called Almaz, it was armed with a 23mm Rikhter cannon!

[@Seanj5216]

You would also have near perfect aim, no gravity to weaken your arm support...

[@seriousthree6071]

Stopping ambient temperature welding is normally done by oxidizing the surface, which has a good chance of getting removed when you fire a weapon, luckily there are lubricants that do work in space. Except for things like barrel linings they can use advanced plastics/ceramics. No atmosphere won't make much difference to the bullet's velocity when leaving the barrel but will definitely make a difference to long range. Very long range, especially ship combat would be different. You can see the enemy coming from millions of kilometers away, so far that even a railgun slug would effectively travel far too slow.

[@josephkane825]

Are you sure that it can happen on oxidized surfaces??? I was taught that it can only happen on unoxidized surfaces and only where enough crystal lattice planes line up?

[@mattbell4498]

Dear Scott, On your next video, please say " We have a moose about the house" Thanks Matt 😂

[@bradwilmot5066]

That crazy moose is loose in the hoose...

[@JLPicard1648]

2:20 I thought that was the 3rd. Isn't the 2nd F=ma?

[@SirMrTreflip]

Newton's second law of motion can be formally stated as follows: The acceleration of an object as produced by a net force is directly proportional to the magnitude of the net force, in the same direction as the net force, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object.

[@zuzeathebestest]

Which is F=ma or a=F/m, I also could of sworn it was "Inertia", "F=ma", "Equal and opposite" in that order. Not that it *really* matters, mind you. They are all still true in any order.

Have not of.

[@tigerwoocho]

someone thought the same haha

[@horvathbenedek3596]

Nicholas Standen A more usefull form of this law would be dI/dt = m * d^2r/dt^2 + dm/dt * dr/dt, where t is time, r is the coordinate vector of center of mass, and I is inertia (velocity is the first degree, and acceleration is the second degree derivative of r) This becomes relevant when you start talking about fluid dinamics. See, in fluid dynamics the volume, and thus the mass of objecs can change, so it is a function of time, and thus is affected by dericatives. Also, don't forget, Newton's second law applies to both trasversal motion and rotation.

[@TheMarineGamerIGGHQ]

For anyone wondering just how badly the temperature could affect ballistics: Since we're on Earth, it's hard to notice with conventional weapons, however during WW2 with germany's 2 railway guns the Schwerer Gustavs, in the hotter climates the gun would have a spread on impact of about 40~ metres accuracy. However in the cold Russian front sometimes the rounds were landing nearly as inaccurately as a whole mile from where they were aimed at. Now in space with such grand differences in space you could end up with a similar amount of inaccuracies with smaller calibre weapons too

[@eappenjacob1894]

2:17 - Newton's third law, - every action has an equal and opposite reaction...

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

2nd

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

Yes, the third law is an iteration of the second law... that knowing the mass of an object and the force vector, the object will respond predictably in the direction of the applied force.

[@benbot1680]

Gunner! Load SABOT! Sir, the barrel is depressurized! I can't open the thing! Well ****

[@oS2006DE]

Wow, that list of space problems for mechanisms actually backs up some pretty ubiquitous sci fi design tropes!

[@Mrqwertar]

2:16 It's a third law

[@minecraftermad]

atleast there's no need for silencer...

[@tehllama42]

But still a use for one - would reduce muzzle flash visibility, added velocity is always nice, and less felt recoil. Not necessarily worth the tradeoffs for mass, but it would still function basically as intended, save for no real difference in sound movement because of the lack of atmosphere.

[@debott4538]

Wouldn't the person who shoots hear the gun through their own arm though?

[@scottmanley]

Although, muzzle flash is a lot lower in a vacuum since the exhaust gasses disappate much faster.

[@minecraftermad]

Scott Manley OH well laser weapons don't have any of these problems mentioned in the video! speaking of laser have you seen the project of the 10petawatt laser in Romania? supposedly its so powerfull you can shoot at a metal plate and protons would eject as a beam out the otherside. what i read was something about there being a huge charge forcing the protons off...

[@Kualinar]

For the cooling, fit the barrel with radial fins, and make them as black as possible. They will make good radiators, and also help to maintain the barrel integrity.

[@royalscam9]

Great topic but I've gotta give a +1 and a like for The Very Best of Steely Dan, poking out of the top shelf!

[@Wardragod]

how else are we going to keep those moon bears down? or even the martian bats? their like 20 feet tall

[@w0ttheh3ll]

they have to be, because of the low air density ... right?

[@dadafan5921]

Scott, I don't know why but my mind was preoccupied through the length of this video... over and over: wtf...wtf...wtf... At its end I was left with, well, I don't know what I was left with. This is not negative criticism. I am a borderline expert with firearms, have an intense theoretical and experiential background in Newtonian physics and while you were talking I mentally tried firing a short-barrelled twelve gauge in space... No matter how I varied the scenario it always ended badly. What fun!

[@canemcave]

crossbow should be very effective too

They would also impart energy to the user.

[@destroyerdragon2002]

Bolts are stabilized by the air they fly though.

[@TheCowby]

Yeah, it wouldn't work that well. The fins on the rear of the arrow would have nothing to stabilize them. No air. I imagine an arrow would tumble and spin in space.

[@thesunexpress]

How do guns work in space? Like guns. Full stop.

[@jamesbyrne2767]

Nope, think again.

[@jeffk464]

FIRE arm, they generate heat that's dissipated to the atmosphere if fired repeatedly in space they could definitely get too hot.

[@georgechrist2886]

Muzzle breaks could be used to mitigate the recoil by redirecting the high pressure gasses coming from the end of the barrel backwards therefore providing thrust opposite to the force of recoil.

[@eaglegrip6879]

Dude, you're over-thinking this problem!! A weapon in space only needs to be able to tear a big hole your opponent's space suit. Presto! Victory is YOURS! Duh!

[@emlun]

Shuriken-throwing space ninja confirmed

[@SeriousApache]

"The equal and opposite reaction" is 3rd law, 2nd is "force equal mass times acceleration"

[@yobi765]

Was looking for this

[@copperhamster]

They mounted a gun from a jet fighter on one of the Soviet space stations. They fired it remotely after undocking on their way out. The station kept rattling and shaking for days, maybe weeks.

[@novato455]

Sooner or later guns will get to space, sadly thats the nature of progress.

[@killman369547]

Guns have already been to space. Russian soyuz capsules have a sawed-off shotgun stowed onboard in case they go off course during descent and land in the middle of the Ural mountains or siberia or somewhere and have to fend off the local wildlife as well as hunt for food.

[@novato455]

@@killman369547 thats only 1 little thing, what i meant was space kalasnikovs, m4s, submachine guns, rail, coil and laser guns, canons etc etc.