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Rail Guns Closer to Reality

Posted by samzenpus on from the fastest-gun-in-the-west dept.

emtboy9 writes "Yahoo News is reporting that scientists at Sandia National Labs have created a magnetic pulse gun (rail gun) that can accelerate small aluminum plates at 34 kilometers per second, faster than the Earth travels through space. The accelerated plates strike a target after traveling only five millimeters, or less than a quarter-inch. The impact generates a shock wave -- in some cases, reaching 15 million times atmospheric pressure -- that passes through the target material turning matter into various states almost instantly (solids into liquids, liquids into gas, and even gas into plasma)."

6 of 475 comments (clear)

  1. FP? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Did I get it?

  2. NOT A GUN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    and to fire it your name has to be atlas..... its not a gun.... Move along nothing to see here...

    SS

  3. How about a love gun by Dancin_Santa · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I'm not a hippie, far from it. Grizzled veteran of several wars is more like it.

    But I hate guns. I hate war. I hate all these things that are designed to kill and maim (contrary to international treaties, in fact).

    How about concentrating on global cooperation instead of global conquest? There are only two ways of eliminating an enemy: Kill him or make him a friend.

    Call me crazy, but I'd rather make a friend than kill an enemy.

    Designing these weapons can only lead to more killing. I find that terribly sad.

  4. Re:Yeehaw! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    exactly! say no to daterape

  5. Re:Yeehaw! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    that's the problem; you can't!

  6. Re:Yeehaw! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Stop the rape! Say yes!