Re: guns in vacuum (was Re: Near Future Rules Draft is up!)

On Tue, 25 Feb 1997, Joachim Heck - SunSoft wrote:

> Mark Andrew Siefert writes:
> 
> @:) Because conventional firearms woundn't operate in a vaccum
> 
>   Why not?  As far as I know bullets work fine in a vacuum.  Cartridge
> propellants contain their own oxidizers.
> 
To continue along this, the reason you wouldn't use a normal bullet 
shooting gun is recoil.  Recoilless rifles or rockets impart much less
recoil than a conventional gun, in space if you fired at a tangent to
your axis, the recoil you slowly cause you to rotate, which could 
complicate targeting and such.	I'm pretty sure a recoiless system could

be designed where excess backblast from the rocket could be redirected
to 
counteract the small amount of recoil caused by ejecting the round. 

Spinal mount mass drivers wouldn't have to worry as much since all they 
do is slow you down slightly, which could be compensated by adding more 
thrust.

--Binhan Lin