Fires can't burn in the oxygen-free vacuum of space, but guns can shoot. ... Modern ammunition contains its own oxidizer, a chemical that will trigger the explosion of gunpowder, and thus the firing of a bullet, wherever you are in the universe.

Would a bullet be effective in space?

Yes. Bullets carry their own oxidising agent in the explosive of the cartridge (which is sealed, anyway) so there's no need for atmospheric oxygen to ignite the propellant. ... Once shot, the bullet will keep going forever, as the universe is expanding at a faster rate than the bullet will travel.

How fast can a bullet go in space?

Those galaxies are travelling at around 200km/s (124 miles/sec) as the Universe expands, whereas a travelling bullet can reach speeds of only 1km/s (0.62 mile/sec).

Would a gun work on the Moon?

Yes, you can fire a gun on the Moon, despite the absence of oxygen. ... Despite the abundance of oxygen on Earth, however, most gun ammunition comes with its own oxidizer "built in", so to speak. The result is that a gun can fire even in the absence of oxygen, such as on the Moon.

Would a bullet orbit the Moon?

A bullet will only maintain a circular orbit around the moon if the velocity of the bullet and your height above the center of the moon obey a certain relationship. In reality, the precision with which you would need to know the velocity and height would be ridiculous if you wanted to hit a target as small a person.

Here’s what would happen if you fired a gun in space

43 related questions found

Would an M16 work in space?

In real life, however, a weapon like the M16 would be extremely difficult to operate in space. Using weapons in the extremes of space, including wild temperature swings and low gravity, would present challenges for both those who design and carry the weapons.

Has a gun been to space?

In 1975, the Soviet Union did something that had never been done in space before. They fired a gun from a space station, the one and only time such a thing has happened. It was an event that was only uncovered after the fall of the USSR in the early 1990s.

What weapons would work in space?

Space Weapons in Development

• Chemical Lasers.
• Particle Beams.
• Military Space Planes.

Can guns fire underwater?

Depending on the type of gun, it is possible to fire underwater. ... There are some pretty common things that happen to guns underwater. Water causes issues with the ammunition, the action, and the projectile ballistics. Once you get your gun underwater, the barrel almost immediately fills up with water.

Would guns work on Mars?

"The atmospheric pressure is about 1%, so you'd hear a bang but it wouldn't be as loud. Your range would be a lot further because the bullet would drop much more slowly in the Mars gravity." Nonetheless, it would still do damage. "All sort of projectile weapons would work," explains Clarke.

What does space smell like?

Astronaut Thomas Jones said it "carries a distinct odor of ozone, a faint acrid smell…a little like gunpowder, sulfurous." Tony Antonelli, another space-walker, said space "definitely has a smell that's different than anything else." A gentleman named Don Pettit was a bit more verbose on the topic: "Each time, when I ...

Does NASA have space weapons?

As of September 2017, there are no known operative orbital weapons systems, but several nations have deployed orbital surveillance networks to observe other nations or armed forces. Several orbital weaponry systems were designed by the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Would a bullet lose velocity in space?

In space, the only force that would act to slow down (or speed up) that bullet after being fired is gravity. ... Anything moving through the air will encounter this force, so any bullets fired on the Earth will have their forward motions continuously slowed down by drag.

Has anyone died in space?

A total of 18 people have lost their lives either while in space or in preparation for a space mission, in four separate incidents. Given the risks involved in space flight, this number is surprisingly low. ... The remaining four fatalities during spaceflight were all cosmonauts from the Soviet Union.

Can a bullet start a fire?

Bullet fragments can be extremely hot and can easily start a fire. Shooting at steel targets or rocks may throw sparks into the nearby vegetation. Use paper targets or clay pigeons. Steel Core and solid copper ammunition have the highest potential to start fires.

Would throwing something in space propel you?

Yes. For two reasons. When you throw something, there is a force exerted on you just like you exert a force on the object you throw. Momentum is conserved, so whatever momentum you give to the object you throw in one direction, you gain from the object in the opposite direction.

What is a flechette round?

A flechette /flɛˈʃɛt/ fleh-SHET is a pointed steel projectile with a vaned tail for stable flight. ... Delivery systems and methods of launching flechettes vary, from a single shot, to thousands in a single explosive round. The use of flechettes as antipersonnel weapons has been controversial.

What's the world's most powerful handgun?

The Smith & Wesson Model 500 has held its rank as the world's most powerful handgun since it was first introduced in 2003. The Smith & Wesson Model 500 is one impressive weapon. At this point, it's become almost as much of a classic as Ruger's 10/22 semi-automatic rifle!

Can an AK 47 shoot underwater?

The AK-47 is an iconic assault rifle, popular among revolutionaries and known for its rugged, reliable design. Thanks to the team at Smarter Every Day and The Slow Mo Guys, the AK-47 is also a way to learn about physics! Underwater, the bullet travels only about 5 to 6 feet (in the air, it can travel some 1,300 feet).

Can you fire a missile in space?

National Missile Defense (NMD)

Missile defense does not station weapons in space, but is designed to intercept incoming warheads at a very high altitude, which requires the interceptor to travel into space to achieve the intercept.

Do lasers work in space?

One of the most common uses of lasers in space is for environmental and remote sensing. In this application, a laser stationed on a satellite can orbit Earth (or other heavenly bodies such as the Moon or Mars) and direct a sequence of short optical pulses onto the surface.

What keeps space empty?

Perfectly "empty" space will always have vacuum energy, the Higgs field, and spacetime curvature. More typical vacuums, such as in outer space, also have gas, dust, wind, light, electric fields, magnetic fields, cosmic rays, neutrinos, dark matter, and dark energy.

Can you shoot a projectile into space?

No, this is not possible. If the bullet had enough speed so that it makes it out of the atmosphere and still has more than escape velocity, then it is on a trajectory leaving earth and not in orbit.

Is 3 round burst legal?

Machine guns — this includes any firearm which can fire more than 1 cartridge per trigger pull. Both continuous fully automatic fire and “burst fire” (i.e., firearms with a 3-round burst feature) are considered machine gun features. The weapon's receiver is by itself considered to be a regulated firearm.

Can something be shot into space?

However, a space gun has never been successfully used to launch an object into orbit or out of Earth's gravitational pull.