Interesting weaponry and tools in space history.

Interesting list of weapons and tools in space travel history...

TP-82, the Soviet machete gun,

The three barrel, two-over/one-under TP-82 gun was developed specifically for the Soyuz program. One barrel is for shooting cartridges, one is for firing shotgun shells, and the third to fire flares, and the removable stock can be used as a machete.


Soviet laser pistols,

These futuristic pistols used pyrotechnic flashbulb ammunition, and their primary function was to disable optical sensors on enemy spacecraft or satellites. Allegedly the laser beams of these recoilless guns were energetic enough to burn through a helmet visor, or to blind anybody from 65 feet.


For more interesting stuff : gizmodo.com... do%2Ffull+%28Gizmodo%29

a reply to: Ddrneville

Interesting, don´t forget the Nudelman-Rikhter_NR-23 on the Salyut 3.

Although, it´s said the recoil would have caused need for orbital compensation, rotating it in fire position, too.

a reply to: verschickter

Thanks for sharing, some crazy days back then

The first one looks kind of crazy but it does have a practical point to it. Both sides in the space race did quite a lot of survival training in the event that their capsule came down somewhere unexpected and some time from recovery. The Soviets in particular tended to return their capsules to land as they had a lot of it to aim at, and an ocean splashdown always had the potential to be captured by what they considered to be hostile forces.

That lethal multi-tool could have kept a crew alive or help them cut their way out of a jungle somewhere.

a reply to: OneBigMonkeyToo

The Soyuz crews undergo survival training to this day.


www.youtube.com...

ESA astronaut Tim Peake during winter survival training in Russia.
All astronauts go through winter survival training. There is always the possibility that a Soyuz spacecraft could land in a remote, cold area. Tim has to learn to survive in harsh climates while waiting for rescue.

But the guns are no longer part of their equipment.