Photo: Micetimes.asia
Back in 1965, a botched Russian mission to space called Voskhod landed 386 km (240 miles) away from its intended destination. As a result, the two-man crew, led by Alexei Leonov, ended up stranded for a couple of days in the Russian wilderness.
For some reason, the Voskhod 2 mission was armed, and the crew was capable if need be to fend off wild animals thanks to a pistol and plenty of ammunition. For decades after that, all Russian cosmonauts carried what came to be known as the TP-82 cosmonaut survival pistol.
That practice ended a little over ten years ago, but according to the latest news coming from the world's second largest space fairing nation, pistols are making a comeback in the cosmonaut gear inventory.
According to the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, cited by the Russian TASS agency, a brand new weapon is currently being tested, awaiting deployment and use in case of an emergency.
"It's possible that landings will also be in this area, which is not populated, with forest and forest-steppe, and cosmonauts are saying that it would be good to have (a weapon) in the kit," Rogozin was quoted as saying.
"This weapon is already being tested."
According to the official, the weapon is likely to become standard issue in about a year and a half.
According to a 1967 agreement lengthy-named Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, the deployment of large weapons in space is forbidden, but the use of small fire arms is not.
The TP-82 is the most famous of weapons taken to space – although most definitely it is not the only one.
Its design has captivated the world at the time – and even American astronauts, who at one point were allowed to train with it.
The gun is a three-barreled pistol capable of firing different types of projectiles through each: shotgun rounds (28 gauge), AK-47 rounds, and rescue flares. It also hides a machete of sorts in the detachable stock.
It’s unclear whether the pistol was ever used in an emergency.
That practice ended a little over ten years ago, but according to the latest news coming from the world's second largest space fairing nation, pistols are making a comeback in the cosmonaut gear inventory.
According to the head of Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, cited by the Russian TASS agency, a brand new weapon is currently being tested, awaiting deployment and use in case of an emergency.
"It's possible that landings will also be in this area, which is not populated, with forest and forest-steppe, and cosmonauts are saying that it would be good to have (a weapon) in the kit," Rogozin was quoted as saying.
"This weapon is already being tested."
According to the official, the weapon is likely to become standard issue in about a year and a half.
According to a 1967 agreement lengthy-named Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, the deployment of large weapons in space is forbidden, but the use of small fire arms is not.
The TP-82 is the most famous of weapons taken to space – although most definitely it is not the only one.
Its design has captivated the world at the time – and even American astronauts, who at one point were allowed to train with it.
The gun is a three-barreled pistol capable of firing different types of projectiles through each: shotgun rounds (28 gauge), AK-47 rounds, and rescue flares. It also hides a machete of sorts in the detachable stock.
It’s unclear whether the pistol was ever used in an emergency.
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