It was purportedly (and probably in actuality) intended as a survival aid to be used after landings and before recovery in the Siberian wilderness, although allegedly was intended as a defensive weapon against in-space attacks by the US space program.

  • WhoRoger@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The attack in space angle was probably just to convince some manager.

    The survival in Siberia is completely valid. US retrieves their astronauts in the ocean, but Soviet Russia didn’t/doesn’t have such a worldwide navy, so Siberia it is. It could take days for the cosmonauts to be recovered, so it was expected they might need to defend themselves against wildlife or even hunt.

    • BastingChemina@slrpnk.net
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      1 year ago

      I think every astronaut that embarked in the Soyuz spacecraft had to go through a wilderness survival training.

      I know the french astronaut Thomas Pesquet had to survive a week in Siberian first in winter before embarking on the Soyuz.

  • mojofrododojo@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Because space is haunted. And buckshot’s superior spread helps ensure a hit while spinning around in zero-g. Solid slugs would go straight through the soyuz walls, duh.

  • janAkali@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    allegedly was intended as a defensive weapon against in-space attacks by the US space program.

    ??? If it was for in-space attacks, wouldn’t it be more logical to mount a gun outside of ship 😆?

    It was intended as a survival aid for emergency landings. It’s not a shotgun, but a three barrel pistol (but it can shoot both normal rounds and shells). Another interesting detail - it’s buttstock is a folding machete.

    TP-87 was invented by request of A. Leonov after emergency landing of ‘Voshod-2’ where cosmonauts Leonov and Belyaev had to survive 3 days in wild taiga forest for a rescue team to retrieve them.

  • Rapidcreek@reddthat.com
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    1 year ago

    Long-time space journalist Jim Oberg called it “a deluxe all-in-one weapon with three barrels and a folding stock that doubles as a shovel and contains a swing-out machete.”

  • Red_October@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    They say it was because their landing in the wilds of Siberia may require defense against wildlife. This is not true. The truth is that they have seen what resides in space, and would not venture into it’s laid unarmed.

      • riodoro1@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        A gunshot wound to the head is also not suicide.

        If however both the gunshot wound and hypoxia are self inflicted then it is suicide, regardless if you pull the trigger or open a valve.

  • OptimusPhillip@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I can’t seem to read the article, so forgive me if they answer this question, but how would a gun work in space? Most firearms I’m familiar with use oxidation reactions to propel ammunition. Were the shells filled with self-oxidizing propellant, or did they just use a completely different system?

      • OptimusPhillip@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        I guess today is a learning day for all of us! I knew gunpowder contained nitrates, but I didn’t realize that was its purpose, or that it allowed it to work in a vacuum.

    • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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      1 year ago

      Pretty much anything explosive need to be self oxidizing. If air can’t get in to continue to feed the burning of the material (which never can during an explosion) than the oxygen needs to come from another source.

    • superkret@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Firearms generally work in space at least once.
      A semi-auto probably won’t cycle correctly in zero G, and any gun will likely overheat from the first couple shots in a vacuum, but you can always get one shot out.