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Firing a gun in space isn’t advisable, but it is possible. Technically, it should work just fine. According to BBC Science Focus, guns don’t require oxygen to fire. That’s because they already have an oxidizing agent in the sealed ammunition cartridge that can ignite the gunpowder. Nor is gravity needed to chamber a bullet: a spring forces that. It’s not a lack of gravity that poses the biggest problem. Instead, environmental factors might prevent a space shooting. Extreme temperatures could cause the weapon to overheat and malfunction. If the weapon gets too cold, the firing cap primer might not go off; metal gun parts could lose their structural integrity, leading to jamming.
30 sats \ 0 replies \ @xz 20 Mar
Bullet could travel indefinitely until striking a solid object
This is the most interesting thought experiment, IMO.
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