The Space Cannon that was Actually Fired in Orbit

In July of 1974, the USSR fired the first and only cannon to be shot into space. Haunted by fears of U.S. spacecraft inspecting or attacking Soviet spaceships and satellites, the R-23M Kartech 23-millimeter cannon had been secretly installed on the Salyut-3 as part of Project Almaz… a top-secret military space station program camouflaged in the cloak of civilian space exploration. Fully armed and operational, the space weapon would remain one of the world’s most closely guarded secrets until the fall of the Soviet Union…
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Dark Space features the mysterious and little told stories of US, Soviet, and global space exploration from the dawn of the space race to today... all in the cinematic short documentary format we love to create. Subscribe today, and feel free to reach out with your own suggestions for new stories that you want us to bring to life. Thanks as always for your support.

[@MurderHornet2020]

Shout out to all my space shuttle door gunners out there!

[@ryeridinger4897]

Rah!🤘🏻🤣

[@snspartan714al2]

Well….technically that’s a tail gun

[@dalepatterson1748]

I was a belly gunner.

[@davkrod]

I was a submarine door gunner. Does that count?

[@sid2112]

Fully armed and operational you say? Let's witness the power, shall we? I caught that one, nice!

[@josephmastroianni1560]

Kings. Guns(1775) Fake news(1770) and fake Indians.17&73 Play United States. Not rocket science.

[@josephmastroianni1560]

I'm just a regular person. In Boston media. 🤷‍♂️

[@Motor-City_Ben-Diesel]

This was done so long ago, it further proves we have weapons in space now that are far more capable and I believe have been used before.

[@GREGGRCO]

Yep.

[@Maxumized]

They are there

[@anarchistangler]

The space shuttle program would have been dedicated to that for sure. Orbital nukes and satellite killers. Thank god it was the Americans and not any of these other despots. At least they support democracy.

[@yesandno389]

@@anarchistangler За демократию убили уже миллионы людей по всему миру. Никаким деспотам и не снилось.

[@syriuszb8611]

Yeah, they surely have blasters and proton torpedoes! 🤣

[@ashdrive]

As always a top rated video... excellent commentary...

[@brianmcrock]

You folks do good stuff, man. I like the matter-of-fact narration. Just the facts, ma'am, just the facts. Thanks!

[@sgtmorhew]

Astronaut Chris Hadfield wrote a fantastic thriller about this program. Fantastic book and highly recommend it

[@herbert92x]

MOL wasn’t all that secret. I found open source info on the program in 1980. There was also one reference to the ALMAS cannon.

[@MrRolotube]

Indeed I own a dictionary on spaceflight, issued in the GDR (East Germany) in 1971. It has an article on MOL. so, MOL cannot have been that secret.

[@chrismartin4654]

There were plastic models of it in the sixties. I built a Hawk kit of it.

[@michaelparks6120]

I love this guys vids and channels...always interesting stuff

[@Sam_Perman]

Is this a reupload?

[@wickedomen]

Yes

[@notworldwarthunder2035]

yes

[@huntercanuck]

My first viewing

[@powerpressproductions5165]

Man good catch. I swore I've seen this before.

[@nomercyinc6783]

Yeah this is a repost

[@DanSaboia]

Dude excelent speaking velocity, in the previous videos you were talking too fast in my opinion.

[@ZMAN_420]

This was a good one! 👍

[@wickedomen]

So many reuploads. Running out of content?

[@TTstone616]

I'd love to know how & where you get all these video clips relating to the subjects you're talking about? Love your channels though! Endless entertainment for me :)

[@TrueSpace61]

Interesting - but Salyut came a couple years before Skylab.

[@titolino73]

Very interesting , thanks

[@michaelfried3123]

I didn't know this until I watched this video. Thanks for the interesting story!

[@jameskellum4]

Videos like these make you wonder what's going on up in space above Ukraine right now.

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

Elon Musk is shutting off star link

[@robertsears8323]

Hopefully a good fight is going on up there.

[@robertsears8323]

@@j.robertsergertson4513 Good.

[@josephmastroianni1560]

You just need 170 votes. And The FakeNewZ.

[@icanfly7038]

Primarily recon satellites from NATO and Russia

[@Opusss]

I think it would be naïve to assume there aren't more weapons in space

[@eugenecbell]

The Soviets carried rifles on every flight. Not for a war but for survival after landing.

[@stanley1554]

Skylab was not a space station. It barely stayed in orbit. Russia's Mir space station was the first and only space station to be manned by an individual Nation until China came along and achieved this last year sometime

[@HolLoWfIeD85]

The soviet union was just about the worlds biggest bunch of copycats

[@phrtao]

Firing projectiles in orbit at another object in orbit is really reckless. You are inevitably going to put high energy projectiles into the same orbit that most satellites use until they hit something. Whatever they hit will probably not be the object you were aiming at, it could be anything. In space there is nothing to slow any orbiting projectile apart from orbital decay,. The alternative is that they achieve an escape trajectory (and velocity) which means your 'shells' become minute interplanetary probes !

[@FortunePT]

yeah , imagine shoting a projectile , it get's into orbit and hits you from the back , that would suck , i'm ok with experimenting in space but we just have to accept the fact something will defenitly happen that we have no idea how , for example that projectile will be launched at prob 1000 m/s since there is no friction let's make it 2.000 m/s that thing can pass next to planets gaining "NITROUS" and increasing it's velocity until it hit's something , let's just hope it doesen't reach light speed travel and anhiliates another civilization that will eventually come after us

[@L0U149]

hey, can you do an updated best ufos list please, I have been getting back into these sort of channels and I would love your take on the subject

[@ultimateormus7903]

I highly recommend Eyes on Cinema channel for UFO's.

[@poloska9471]

If you’re just getting back in, switch to the term UAPs instead of UFOs. Most new stuff is termed UAPs (unidentified aerial phenomena) so you will find more fresh videos this way. Also, for submerged objects, the new term is USO.

[@poloska9471]

Also here is a funny thought: imagine if aliens had KZbin accounts and made/read comments without us knowing. That would be priceless, and definitely a tv show playing in some alien home far far away.

[@poloska9471]

Now consider this thought: what if I am actually an alien? 🦑

[@poloska9471]

Jk jk…………. or am I!? HA

[@genericalfishtycoon3853]

Well at least he didn't forget this channel exists entirely.

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

It makes me wonder what happens to the bullet/projectile after it's fired ? Does it continue on for ever? does it get pulled back to earth? Could it circle the earth and hit the firer in the asz?

[@markrix]

Depends all cases are possible.

[@ultimateormus7903]

Works same as asteroids.

[@clairevero]

Asz?

[@TheRustedShackleford]

@Area69employee ban my ass

[@jonnyjackson6050]

@Area69employee will it fuck (whoops, my bad)

[@JohnJohansen2]

9:04 Sir. I've forgot what this key does.

[@alasdairblack393]

“Winded down” really?? Wound down please.

[@alexandershaduri1984]

Wait, the video claims skylab was the first "civilian" space station in 1973, but salyut was a close second in 1971? Seems like a mistake.

[@SigmaBananaProGamer45]

the closest we ever were to a space war

[@silverismoney]

Awesome video. Love this channel. Can you do one on Skiff laser? I know there's not a lot of info to go on though but from what I read, Gorbachev basically tried to stop them launching a space laser, they launched it anyway and it failed to enter orbit. Imagine life today, with a giant soviet space laser orbiting above you.

[@talesmilesprower5daysago726]

He made it already. He posted it 1 yr ago

[@Rene-up1dl]

DEW starting thousands of fires.

[@jbmiller6790]

Idk but he sounds sick or something, also first time hearing him bite his words when speaking. Hope he is doing alright and rest easy.

[@ramathememe5674]

All these videos about USSR vs. USA space race makes me wonder, what would technology look like if the USSR didn’t fall? 🤔

[@wickedomen]

About the same I think, there's a video explaining where Russia fell behind in micro possessors. Very hammer, less skinning knife.

[@robertsears8323]

it would be a lot more advanced.

[@steveschu]

They went bankrupt.

[@Smokecall]

...and yet India's very real anti space vehicle weapons being ignored by the rest of the world

[@paulmurgatroyd6372]

As long as there is clickbait, the red circle and arrow will never be out of work.

[@niehlsbohr]

Isn't that spacelab at 8:40, not the Soviet craft being mentioned?

[@evan5l]

You’ve slowed down

[@harrythedirty4256]

2:25 music pls?

[@c123bthunderpig]

Once you get into space, you discover the cost of returning increases exponentially .

[@nkronert]

So did I miss the part about which target they shot at and how the test went?

[@j.robertsergertson4513]

*classified*

[@steveschu]

Not sure. Probably satellites or unauthorized launches.

[@profsakharov1191]

They fired at the old space station about to be de-orbited. The results are still a Russian state secret. .

[@Ryanspointingatfailure]

I've seen this one before. I think it was on dark doc's now dark space.

[@joshkelso123]

Reminds me of a Zaku machine gun

[@Luke..luke..luke..]

Haven't you made this already?

[@Omba820]

Dose this mean theres the potential a space station can be taken out by a shot fired a really long time ago?

[@side-beeetaloniswolfwolfac4179]

*Insert Mass Effect Meme here*

[@fedoraman.]

so these space battles from games are now going to be in real life but without this all technology huh

[@DarylSawatzky]

Used for the second of the Apollo Murders. True story 😜

[@charletonzimmerman4205]

"I shot a 45 1911 on the MOON", It's still orbiting, "WATCH OUT" ! Neal Armstrong.

[@imemovengeance]

I'm sure space has been weaponized for many decades now probably long before we put men in space but this is cool

[@Kampfwageneer]

They really couldn’t have put it on a turret

[@KingZE-V88]

The USSR was really a competitive Superpower to the United States 🌍🌠🌍

[@foxyboiiyt3332]

They probably didn't fire as there were no life forms aboard the pod

[@James-nl6fu]

How does a firearm 🔥 "combust/burn without 🤔 oxygen. Rockets carry theirs with them. The 🐚 shells would need a new mix to fire 🔥 in space.

[@Thomasnmi]

There would be enough air in the cartridge

[@KeanuRave]

Only took 7 months for a new upload.

[@jacobbaranowski]

Modern Star Wars Call Of Duty Space Race

[@Zorlof]

The "Boys" need their toys in space.

[@blackphoenixfamily8477]

"The Gemini /pronounces the letter V's vehicle....." You fuckin wot m8?!

[@chrishince8947]

I wonder what is floating up there now?

[@doodooswirl]

I can imagine the USSF is having talks with our buddy Elon. Imagine a military Starship with lasers and or/orbital bombardment projectiles….

[@nopeyadayadayada1248]

Gemini V....you mean Gemini 5. That's what the V represents.

[@doodooswirl]

Yep

[@Ghost_Hybrid]

Didn't the Chinese also shoot down a satellite?

[@austin_semiconductor4153]

Yes, January 11, 2007. Created the largest creation of space debris ever recorded. More than 2000 pieces of track-able debris remain in orbit, and are still a danger to spacecraft to this day, and will be for decades to come.

[@digitalnomad9985]

Yes but they used a kinetic kill projectile fired from the ground. This is about firing a cannon in space. Or are you comparing with the weapon fired from the F-15?

[@Addy-745]

Can someone tell me name of the Gentleman at 0:58 working on the computer thanks

[@TheeKaseyy]

Why do I feel like you've told this before?

[@nealrcn]

Dark Space If the US had a gun in space do you really think we would know about it.

[@MrRolotube]

Thanks for this feature. I like the commentary. However, let me point out that most of the film footage has nothing to do with the topic.

[@K3Flyguy]

Umm... Space force is a real thing. Lasers and D.E.W. replaced projectile weapons years ago.

[@myhappylive5125]

🌠😁🌃🌌😂🧨💙🔐💯🌟🤎🇱🇹👍🎺🇺🇸🎂🎉🍸🇨🇴😄👽🎧🎶🎤👑🎊😗🎻✨🌞💐🌹😍😇😘

[@markrix]

Is it just me or does it sound like he needs to clear his nose? Heres a dark tissue

[@auro1986]

is it secret because they shot a foreign satellite or ufo?

[@robohasse997]

You may think he just speaks fast… but listening to dark space videos at 50 or 75% speed reveals the narrator is actually inebriated and speeding up the VO to make it less obvious. 😂

[@caretakerfochr3834]

He has slowed down his delivery measurably - my ears no longer bleed. He could reduce that speed a further 15% - let the script breathe a bit - to good effect.

[@kakakiri2601]

Orbital Cannon

[@reginajanelilianapatterson5838]

This is why we of the Free World never should allow communists in space... or any country which has ever been communist by choice. *sagely nods*

[@deafmusician2]

Unguided rockets??

[@becausereasons3168]

Title: Space Cannon! Pic: faild Soviet airplane. Reality: one of these things is not like the other. Me:😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴

[@groggykerman007]

WTF??????????

[@8bitkid408]

Why are you recycling your videos?

[@safehousedelta9766]

So tell me, comma how do you fire a space cannon in a vacuum? How does that work again? Kind of like how you got through the Van Allen belt ?

[@jessewyrick5575]

How does a locked chamber gain pressure to push a bullet regardless of outside pressure

[@milantrcka121]

Pulled the trigger!

[@257796]

I only uploaded it once. But that's just me

[@josephweiss1559]

DarkSpace stop repeats

[@cristitanase6130]

So... if aliens come, can we shoot them or not?!

[@juztJerry]

Star wars

[@robertsears8323]

This is a very great ideal. Why are there not guns on ALL spacecraft. The space shuttle would have been so much more useful had it had guns. I just hope that people get smarter and start adding guns to all things in space.

[@sid2112]

An armed orbit is a polite orbit. :)

[@halmcginnis2097]

The Space Cannon features in Andy Weir's book - The Apollo Murders.

[@Will-dt3jk]

Gemini Vee? Write your own content...

[@ronniewolf9650]

There you have it they're not going to explore the auto Realms of this galaxy they want to arm it tactical space cannons launching nuclear weapons from space oh and don't forget Ronald Reagan's Star Wars and you thought we were doing this for science

[@TairnKA]

I wonder why the U.S. didn't expand upon the "Skylab" modules, creating hubs to lock several together? ;-)

[@-CLUMSYDIYer-]

are you using a new mic or have you got a cold?

[@RichardBaran]

Noodleman?

[@bricefleckenstein9666]

0:09 "YPG's HARP gun was the largest artillery piece in the world and, in October 1966, it fired a 185 lb. payload 111 miles high, into the lower reaches of space. It was a world altitude record that still stands." Though there are current projects threatening to beat that record. Your whole video is tainted by the lie RIGHT AT THE START OF IT - the Soviet project did exist but IT WAS NOT ALONE AND IT WAS NOT FIRST.

[@burtpanzer]

Space must be kept absolutely pristine to avoid the millions of particles of hazardous debris resulting from the destruction of anything in orbit, which is not only highly irresponsible, it could very well render space utterly unusable for centuries to come.

[@joshsegg2814]

Someone needs some allergy medicine lol

[@josephpacchetti5997]

Since there is no atmosphere in space {It's a vacuum}, If you were to fire a rifle with a muzzle velocity of 3,000 feet per second, Then unless the projectile hit something or was acted upon by some unknown force, It would continue to travel at 3,000 FPS for eternity.

[@mrwhiteinca]

If you think the mol is something you should see the LOL

[@tylerlidster71]

So much for not weaponizing space 😂😂😂 sign here and do everything off the books 👌🏻 deal 😂😂😂 American earth police 😂😂😂

[@craigcooknf]

Didn't China also destroy satellite with a missile?......Americans were not the only ones. It was on Jan 11 2007.

[@cupidstunt22]

Typical Russian paranoia

[@matthewdavies2057]

The Russians have launched weapons into space several times. The rest of mankind has not. I don't get why you stress the unarmed American spy sat at the start of this vid. Are you being paid to or are you just very pro Russia? Also, no way a fully automatic cannon would be mounted to any space ship. The story I read years ago was that the last crew asked permission to test fire the cannon just before they left for the final time just to see what it would do. Permission was denied. The Russian gov didn't want it getting out that they put weapons in space. That makes much more sense to me than your auto cannon not shaking the station apart.

[@shinichi6235]

2:34 edit that

[@harrythedirty4256]

* that edit

[@aladik2010]

There is NO SUCH THING LIKE ruSSian or soviets. All rockets in so called "ussr" was made by UKRAINIANS under RFashists occupation regime of mAckovia. When in 1991 Ukraine bring back her independent, katsapi from mAckovia didn't capable made anything.