4 ms·

If you read TFA there is a perfectly reasonable suggestion that the gun should be only accessible from outside the capsule, thus reserving it for its intended u

by mnd999 4y ago

If you read TFA there is a perfectly reasonable suggestion that the gun should be only accessible from outside the capsule, thus reserving it for its intended use after landing. That suggestion was rebuffed.

BitwiseFool 4y ago
It's perfectly reasonable from a theoretical standpoint, but what kind of engineering modifications would be involved? It's not as simple as bolting a compartment to the side. They'd have to engineer something recessed so that it doesn't interfere with the aerodynamic profile of the capsule. Do-able, sure, feasible, probably not. What would happen if the capsule landed gun compartment side down? If I were a Russian engineer and project manager I'd tell you to get out of my office with such a frivolous request. Edit: I also realized that an external firearm container would likely imply the handgun would be exposed to the vacuum of space and the temperature swings involved. Given that Soyuz capsules can be in space for months at a time, there would have to be considerable re-engineering of the firearm and the ammunition in order to accommodate this proposed change.
- lazide 4y ago
  Wouldn’t heat of re-entry potentially cause a cook-off? That could be incredibly dangerous.
yellowapple 4y ago
So if the bear is outside of the capsule and you're safely (for now) inside it, do you risk going outside to get the gun? Or do you wait for the bear to peel open the capsule like a can of sardines?
- mnd999 4y ago
  It’s an airtight capsule. The bear isn’t going to be interested in it until you open it. Also, bears don’t have can openers.
  - marssaxman 4y ago
    In Yosemite, park rangers will happily show you many pictures of cars that were torn open by bears searching for food: door frames pried out and bent in half, sheet metal gouged and dented, upholstery shredded. These are just the cute and cuddly North American black bears; the brown bears in Russia are 2-3x larger, with claws several inches longer. It does not seem likely that a crashed cosmonaut would encounter hungry bears or wolves, but I can see why they might want to take precautions.
  - yellowapple 4y ago
    > The bear isn’t going to be interested in it until you open it. So you open the door, you see a bear, it sees/smells you and starts running, and you close the door just in time to avoid being immediately eaten. Now what? > Also, bears don’t have can openers. Bears are the can openers.

by mnd999 4y ago

BitwiseFool 4y ago

It's perfectly reasonable from a theoretical standpoint, but what kind of engineering modifications would be involved? It's not as simple as bolting a compartment to the side. They'd have to engineer something recessed so that it doesn't interfere with the aerodynamic profile of the capsule. Do-able, sure, feasible, probably not. What would happen if the capsule landed gun compartment side down? If I were a Russian engineer and project manager I'd tell you to get out of my office with such a frivolous request. Edit: I also realized that an external firearm container would likely imply the handgun would be exposed to the vacuum of space and the temperature swings involved. Given that Soyuz capsules can be in space for months at a time, there would have to be considerable re-engineering of the firearm and the ammunition in order to accommodate this proposed change.

lazide 4y ago
Wouldn’t heat of re-entry potentially cause a cook-off? That could be incredibly dangerous.

yellowapple 4y ago

So if the bear is outside of the capsule and you're safely (for now) inside it, do you risk going outside to get the gun? Or do you wait for the bear to peel open the capsule like a can of sardines?

mnd999 4y ago
It’s an airtight capsule. The bear isn’t going to be interested in it until you open it. Also, bears don’t have can openers.
- marssaxman 4y ago
  In Yosemite, park rangers will happily show you many pictures of cars that were torn open by bears searching for food: door frames pried out and bent in half, sheet metal gouged and dented, upholstery shredded. These are just the cute and cuddly North American black bears; the brown bears in Russia are 2-3x larger, with claws several inches longer. It does not seem likely that a crashed cosmonaut would encounter hungry bears or wolves, but I can see why they might want to take precautions.
- yellowapple 4y ago
  > The bear isn’t going to be interested in it until you open it. So you open the door, you see a bear, it sees/smells you and starts running, and you close the door just in time to avoid being immediately eaten. Now what? > Also, bears don’t have can openers. Bears are the can openers.