Interesting article about real and potential weapons carried by astronauts and cosmonauts.
http://gizmodo.com/the-ultimate-list-of-weapons-astronauts-have-carried-in-1768199454
Here are some of the highlights
This 1959 Camillus folding knife was carried aboard Mercury Freedom 7 as part of Alan Shepard’s survival kit, on May 5, 1961.
Victorinox Swiss Army knife
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.
Yes, these are real handheld laser weapons developed in the 1980s for cosmonauts. 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.
Emerson Specwar Knife
This folding knife was made under contract for NASA for use on Space Shuttle missions and on the ISS. 30 of these were ordered by NASA and they were delivered in 1999.
http://gizmodo.com/the-ultimate-list-of-weapons-astronauts-have-carried-in-1768199454
Here are some of the highlights
This 1959 Camillus folding knife was carried aboard Mercury Freedom 7 as part of Alan Shepard’s survival kit, on May 5, 1961.
Victorinox Swiss Army knife
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.
Yes, these are real handheld laser weapons developed in the 1980s for cosmonauts. 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.
Emerson Specwar Knife
This folding knife was made under contract for NASA for use on Space Shuttle missions and on the ISS. 30 of these were ordered by NASA and they were delivered in 1999.
