What would happen if you shot a gun in space?

[AethelstanAegen]

I was aware of that, but it was still with them in space. You know the thought HAD to at least run through their head once..."what if...?"

Haha. Yeah, I know it would run through my mind as well.

 

[berettaprofessor]

If you aimed it just right you'd end up with a bullet hole in your asteroid.

You know, some of you guys/gals are pretty funny.

 

[cauldron]

no projectile spin needed, as the projectile has nothing to act upon it and make it tumble, and it should 'fly' just as straight sideways as nose first.

a 1911 would be better for the cold, but... at about 3 degrees Kelvin, the metal slide and frame will 'cold weld' along with all the other metal parts. Unless there is a thin layer of oxidation. So no oil, and a little rust is good! Also the oil will either boil off, freeze, or evaporate anyway...

Firing from the hip, (aligning recoil with your center of gravity) will come back into style, as anything else would cause the person to spin.

'space junk' now includes brass cases... at what speed?? 30 feet per second?

After you shoot a whole magazine, the gun stays very hot. Maybe for days.

So... a smoothbore blackpowder rusty sixshooter fired from the hip is the perfect space gun! At least no ear plugs are needed.

 

[CPerdue]

heating

I was waiting for someone to mention heat. Air cools guns on earth, in space they have to radiate (mostly).

I'm betting the sloppy, beat-up old AK would work longer than the gun with tight tolerances. There are lubes that work in space.

Also, brass/gasses ejecting sideways will cause you to spin. I expect some very fancy muzzle breaks may help with that.

 

[Sam Cade]

I was waiting for someone to mention heat. Air cools guns on earth, in space they have to radiate (mostly).

Yup. Firearms would get hot and STAY hot.

I'm betting the sloppy, beat-up old AK would work longer than the gun with tight tolerances.

Clearances.

 

[AKMtnRunner]

You better make sure to load your ammo in outer space too, because if loaded down here, the pressure inside the loaded round may be enough to prematurely eject the bullet. I hate it when that happens.

 

[Redlg155]

Why all the fuss about shooting? I dare say you could do more damage jousting with knitting needles in outer space.

 

[cauldron]

Redlg155, You sir, are no fun, and are not invited to our next dinosaur hunt.

14 psi might be too much pressure, and unseat the projectile. Yet another reason to use a black powder six shooter, and load once one is in space.

 

[CPerdue]

Nope. 14 psi and .50 only gives 2.75 lbf. You can pull harder than that by hand.

 

[Redlg155]

So you are saying, if you pull my finger in space...

 

[Poper]

You would have to speed up your forward velocity just before firing, so that after the recoil your newly lowered speed is perfect to maintain orbit.

But what if you were orbiting with your back to the direction of your orbital travel? Wouldn't the recoil increase your orbital speed and the velocity of the fired bullet be less?

ETA:

researched air-to-air missiles extensively for my book, but I couldn't find any conclusive evidence that they'd work in space. As far-fetched as the story is, I didn't want to include anything that was simply impossible. So, no missiles for the good guys.

But you could have given them rockets similar to the Shuttle's booster rockets which are solid fuel rockets and include oxidizer(s) in the solid fuel make up. Just a thought.....


Poper

 

[Sam Cade]

ETA:But you could have given them rockets similar to the Shuttle's booster rockets which are solid fuel rockets and include oxidizer(s) in the solid fuel make up. Just a thought.....

Nearly all modern air to air missiles are solid fuel rockets but those engines aren't designed to operate in the temperature extremes of space. Also, they use airfoils to maneuver...

Air to Space guided missile weapons DO exist though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASM-135_ASAT

 

[Devonai]

I thought of that, too, but the main characters in the first novel have to steal most of the weapons they use. None of them were capable of designing or manufacturing either rockets or missiles. If NASA had gotten involved then I'm sure they might have come up with something potentially useful... assuming the ship survives long enough to deploy it.