Slashdot Mirror
TP-82: The Gun Cosmonauts Carried On Space Missions
HughPickens.com writes James Simpson has an interesting story about the TP-82 survival pistol that Russian cosmonauts carried into space with them on missions between 1982 and 2006. But calling it a pistol is slightly misleading—the TP-82 was essentially a sawed-off, double-barreled shotgun with a short-barreled rifle added onto it. Having a gun inside a thin-walled spacecraft filled with oxygen sounds crazy, but the Soviets had their reasons. Much of Russia is desolate wilderness. A single mishap during descent could strand cosmonauts in the middle of nowhere. In March 1965, cosmonaut Alexey Leonov landed a mechanically-faulty Voskhod space capsule in the snowy forests of the western Urals 600 miles from his planned landing site. For protection, Leonov had a nine-millimeter pistol. He feared the bears and wolves that prowled the forest—though he never encountered any. But the fear stayed with him. Later in his career, Leonov made sure the Soviet military provided all its cosmonauts with a survival weapon. For the Soviets, the weapon was a case of "better safe than sorry," and from 1986, it was a permanent fixture in the portable survival kits of every Soyuz mission. "Astronauts of all nationalities—including Americans—have trained with the TP-82," writes Simpson. "And still today, before they ride the Soyuz to space, they must complete a Russian survival training course in the Black Sea and the Siberian forest."
Am I the only one that initially misread it as TI-82 and was trying to figure out how to use a calculator as a gun?
Although its not widely discussed, i find many of the other elements of the soviet survival kit fascinating:
1. PT3: tactical eating potato (1) if bear like potato
2. V92: Vodka (potato but liquid) for drink in case of bear
3. LL2: 40 pound brass bust of glorious comrade Lenin (maybe show bear)
4. C32: Camera, 3 photos for secret picture of bear (can also take picture of potato)
5. T21: Mikheil Jacks son cassete playing tape for when landing in america. to request bills jean lover can save life (do not show potato, do not play into bear)
6. PT2: Second potato (removed by secret police, holster only. is no second potato. you are of greed.)
Good people go to bed earlier.
Pheasant?
I think your sig is bleeding over (so to speak) into your comments.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
A space bear once bit my sister. No realli!
Although a 32 gauge shotgun and the 5.24 mm (single shot) bullet would make shooting a bear somewhat problematic.
You could successfully shoot yourself after being wounded by the bear, but that's about it. Same thing with the 9 mm. A bit on the weak side for a 600 pound + half armored pissed off animal.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
or if you manage to land safely after a mechanical failure only to be eaten by wolves.
It's to shoot your fellow cosmonaut in the knee and run away.
Make sure you file off the front sight so it doesn't hurt so bad when the bear shoves it up your ass.
love is just extroverted narcissism