Russian astronauts have been equipped with guns since the time of the Soviet Union. Yang Liwei, the first astronaut in my country, also equipped with a Type 64 pistol. Why is this? Could it be a way of self-defense to prevent alien invasion. But thinking about it, it seems unlikely. If aliens can actually reach the earth, then our earth’s weapons may not be able to deal with them at all; and you can’t just shoot randomly in the closed environment of the capsule at all. This will cause great suffering, even if you are outside the space station. Shooting randomly under tension will only bring a huge reaction force that will make you lose your balance or even roll over.
The secret of astronauts entering space with guns:
On October 15, 2003, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, the span15 Shenzhou V was successfully launched with a loud noise. This is the first manned spacecraft launched by China, marking that my country is the third country in the world to have astronauts landed in space. With the successful launch of the spacecraft, the life story of my country’s first astronaut Yang Liwei was also reported, and the items he carried into space were also picked up by netizens, including a 64-type pistol. .
However, Yang Liwei was not the first person to bring guns to astronauts. The first to bring guns were astronauts from the former Soviet Union. And all of this stemmed from an accident.
In the 1960s, the US-Soviet battle for hegemony intensified. The Soviet Union launched a manned space again after astronaut Yuri Gagarin flew around the earth in a spacecraft The spacecraft, former Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyaev successfully arrived in space on the "Ascension 2" spacecraft.
However, on the way back to the ground, the spacecraft was not so lucky. The automatic navigation system of the spacecraft failed. As a result, the astronauts could only change to manual operation under the coordination of the ground command center. spaceship.Therefore, it is conceivable that human manipulation can only be a general direction. Although the spacecraft returned to the Soviet territory, it deviated from the scheduled landing point and did not land on the grassland, and finally landed in the virgin forest of Siberia.
As the virgin forest has not yet been developed, Belyaev and Leonov climbed out of the spacecraft’s door, when the snow-footed wind was one metre thick and the surroundings were cold. Whistling, there is the call of beasts from time to time, and at this time, because they have been in space for a period of time, they cannot adapt to the gravity of the earth for a while, and coupled with the problem of calcium loss, they will be inconvenient to move. In such extremely cold and terrifying conditions, Belyaev and Leonov persisted for one night, and the rescue team found them the day after they landed.
Soon after this, the former Soviet Union equipped the astronauts with PM pistols, namely the Makarov pistol , in order to have the most complete safety guarantee after landing. But the biggest enemy for astronauts to land in remote areas is not only beasts, but also weather factors and dense forests. Astronauts need weapons that can fight monsters, send distress signals, and start fires. Therefore, after the PM pistol was equipped, the TP-82 pistol was quickly eliminated.
The TP-82 gun has three barrels, one can fire shots, one can fire rifle bullets, and one can fire rescue flares. Moreover, in order to make it easier for the astronauts to open paths in the forest, the gun is specially reserved for the position of the sharp axe on the butt, so that the gun can be turned into a practical axe to cut trees and clear the way. At the same time, the TP-82 pistol is equipped with a 12.5mm shotgun bullet. When the situation is critical, the gunpowder in the bullet can also be ignited to keep warm.
Today, the TP-82 is considered a historical relic and was retired in 2007 because the original manufacturer no longer produces this unique weapon. But the tradition of Russian astronauts with guns has always been there.Yang Liwei used the gun to learn from the experience of the Soviet Union.
Therefore, guns are actually a kind of self-defense weapon when returning to earth, so that the astronauts are safe, rather than using it in outer space. Imagine that if the same accident as the Soviet Ascendant II happens again, and you do not carry a gun, then it is very likely that the astronauts will freeze to death because they cannot tell the rescue team their location, or they may become a beast’s dinner. NS.
Why don't American astronauts carry guns?
From the Soviet Union to China for manned space flight, the pistol has become a must-have tool. But what is curious is that American astronauts don't even need to bring pistols into space, and they don't even have any special military weapons. In 1969, the Apollo 11 first aid kit carried a machete. In 1970, a sharp-edged spoon was brought into the Sky Lab. A kitchen knife was even brought to the International Space Station in 2000. But because there is no gun, why can Americans feel at ease without a gun?
In fact, this is mainly related to the landing point of the spacecraft. The landing points of the Soviet Union and China’s spacecraft are mainly on the mainland. The environment and climate are complex, and they may be attacked by wolves, tigers, bears and other beasts. It is necessary; but the American astronauts are different. Their landing point is in the Atlantic Ocean. After landing, they only need to wait for the rescue of the aircraft carrier. Therefore, there is no need for American astronauts to bring guns. After all, it is useless to bring them. Not afraid of pirates, there is an aircraft carrier fleet behind this, and Somali pirates dare not!
Conclusion:
Astronauts brought guns into space not to fight with aliens, but as a portable life-saving equipment for astronauts to return to the ground. This piece of equipment is carried by the astronauts so that they can deal with beast attacks, hunt for food, send out distress signals, and even start fires in extraordinary times.But basically, with the improvement of modern spacecraft launch and recovery technology, this special life-saving tool is hardly used.
In June 2021, my country's Shenzhou 12 carried Nie Haisheng , Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo . The three successfully entered space, so would they bring guns? Judging from the available information, they did not bring guns into space. They only carried some private items such as photos and dolls. Even the suitcase we were most curious about at the beginning was actually just a small portable ventilation device. It provides a certain amount of ventilation for the space suit. But it doesn't matter if you don't have it. Now that the technology is so advanced, no bad things will happen. Finally, I hope they can complete the task smoothly and come back safely.
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