Does anyone know why there is a flash of light and a puff of smoke when the gun fires? Since it's electromagnetic, you'd think you wouldn't see anything.
US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
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Re: US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Condemn the action, not the tool. So it's fine to stockpile chemical weapons as long as we don't use them because they're just a tool?
I am not foolish enough to predict the future, nor what said future will demand of us. Two nuclear weapons ended World War 2. Seconded guessing hard decisions is a privilege of existing in the future after those decisions were made, a privilege that one might not otherwise have had. Do you feel better about using a nuclear weapon over a chemical weapon? Why or why not? Once death is assured, we’re just arguing time a…
> Seconded guessing hard decisions is a privilege of existing in the future after those decisions were made, a privilege that one might not otherwise have had
I dunno... I think a very small percentage of people alive at the time of using nuclear weapons on Japan would have actually done so. My own opinion is that the same percentage today would advocate for using nuclear weapons on another populace. The problem is that the people in charge of these things aren't in the majority - they are psychopathic power-hungry war mongers. Have you ever heard of an instance where a pacifistic head of state ruled a nation, beyond Tibet? I have not - those types of people tend not to interested in becoming head of state in the first place. People who aspire to dominate a nation(ie presidents, prime ministers, emperors), don't have a huge moral leap to make(if any at all) before they are willing to murder another nation's people.
tldr; anyone who is capable of being made a leader of a nation, should never be allowed to do so. they tend to be willing to murder people to get what they want, and that's generally bad for the rest of us living on planet Earth.
Re: US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
#53Re: US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
#54It looks right. It looks like it could well be the ancestor of the MAC cannons from Halo. EDIT: I said this to my coworkers a couple of weeks ago: I'm calling it now. Either 1) Naval Railguns also wind up being killer AA weapons and there aren't any game changers in submarine warfare or 2) Railguns are going to be the equivalent of WWII naval cannon -- They won't be nearly as important as something else.
"2) Railguns are going to be the equivalent of WWII naval cannon -- They won't be nearly as important as something else."
Railguns would completely surpass missiles for StS warfare, which can be intercepted by other missiles, whereas a railgun shot cannot at this time.
Re: US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
#55Re: US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
#56It looks right. It looks like it could well be the ancestor of the MAC cannons from Halo. EDIT: I said this to my coworkers a couple of weeks ago: I'm calling it now. Either 1) Naval Railguns also wind up being killer AA weapons and there aren't any game changers in submarine warfare or 2) Railguns are going to be the equivalent of WWII naval cannon -- They won't be nearly as important as something else.
"2) Railguns are going to be the equivalent of WWII naval cannon -- They won't be nearly as important as something else." Railguns would completely surpass missiles for StS warfare, which can be intercepted by other missiles, whereas a railgun shot cannot at this time.
Except maybe not these hypersonic missiles, which were discussed here just the other day?
Re: US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
#57Does anyone know why there is a flash of light and a puff of smoke when the gun fires? Since it's electromagnetic, you'd think you wouldn't see anything.
The air infront of the projectile.
When you compress a gas it creates heat. The projectile is moving so fast it super heats the air infront of it as it compresses it.
Also normally things that go the speed of this projectile (mach 6 I believe) are way up in the sky where the air is less dense. So theres a whole lot of air down here for it to shove out of its way.
The explosion is from the rapid expansion of the superheated gas after leaving the barrel.
Re: US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
#58Does anyone know why there is a flash of light and a puff of smoke when the gun fires? Since it's electromagnetic, you'd think you wouldn't see anything.
Railguns are not coilguns. Railguns maintain physical contact between the projectile and the rails for the entire length of the barrel. That's a lot of friction. Friction leads to heat, light, and a puff of smoke from material that has been ablated during the launch, if I were to guess.
This leads to one of the big problems with railguns, which is that you have to replace the rails frequently due to wear and tear.
Re: US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
#59Does anyone know why there is a flash of light and a puff of smoke when the gun fires? Since it's electromagnetic, you'd think you wouldn't see anything.
It's a wrapper (sabot, carrier, etc.) that ignites due to the speed.
Re: US Navy's Railgun Now Undergoing Tests in New Mexico
#60Does anyone know why there is a flash of light and a puff of smoke when the gun fires? Since it's electromagnetic, you'd think you wouldn't see anything.
Yea I was confused about that too. I expected it to just be a piece of Lead or Tungsten that launched out at high velocity. I don't understand the smoke/explosion either.