In attempt to help lower costs of the development of MIRV nuclear weapons for the US military, famous artillery designer & physicists Gerald Bull worked with the Department Defense during the 1960's in the development of system that could launch MIRV vehicles into space, thus allowing for a much cheaper form of technology to test and design these weapons. Additional research was done on the ability for a large caliber artillery system to launch a satellite into orbit.
The ultimate tool of the testing was a retired 16in/50 cal Naval cannon refurbished into 16in/100 cal test cannon. This system allowed a 180kg slug to be fire to 3,600 m/s to an altitude of 180km.
Bull was later assassinated by Mossad in 1990 after spending a number of years designing and building Iraq's "Babylon Gun."
links
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/iraq/other/supergun.htm
http://www.astronautix.com/articles/abroject.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_HARP
Project H.A.R.P.
- Kyler
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Project H.A.R.P.
"It was a perfect attack, Right Height, Right Range, Right cloud cover, Right speed,
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)
Re: Project H.A.R.P.
Has the idea of a super gun to fire satellites into space been researched any further?
''Give me a Ping and one Ping only'' - Sean Connery.
Re: Project H.A.R.P.
I imagine the difficulty is designing satellite components that can withstand the tremendous G forces involved. The USN gave up (as least for now) on a powered and guided shell for it's 5"/62 cal gun for that reason.RF wrote:Has the idea of a super gun to fire satellites into space been researched any further?
- Karl Heidenreich
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Re: Project H.A.R.P.
That gun look like the German Leopold gun.
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Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
- Kyler
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Re: Project H.A.R.P.
I was thinking the same thing. Though it isn't surprising the Leopold gun since it was the first device capable of propelling an object outside earths atmosphere.Karl Heidenreich wrote:That gun look like the German Leopold gun.
"It was a perfect attack, Right Height, Right Range, Right cloud cover, Right speed,
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)
Re: Project H.A.R.P.
WOW! That is one MASSIVE piece of artillery! What was the propulsive used? I imagine they crammed as much into there was possible to launch the thing into near orbit!
AND THE SEA SHALL GRANT EACH MAN NEW HOPE, AS SLEEP BRINGS DREAMS.
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Re: Project H.A.R.P.
The articles I read did mention some type of special propellant, but no indication of what was used.Legend wrote: WOW! That is one MASSIVE piece of artillery! What was the propulsive used? I imagine they crammed as much into there was possible to launch the thing into near orbit!
"It was a perfect attack, Right Height, Right Range, Right cloud cover, Right speed,
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)
- Karl Heidenreich
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Re: Project H.A.R.P.
Dilithium cristals?
An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last.
Sir Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Churchill
- Kyler
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Re: Project H.A.R.P.
Karl you like this comparison
"It was a perfect attack, Right Height, Right Range, Right cloud cover, Right speed,
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)