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Comment by tetha | original | Why did some Apollo missions carry a grenade launcher?
[−]tetha · 2026-11-15 Sun 13:10 UTC · link
And the follow-up question: Could it put one into a moon orbit if done right?
[−]mattmaroon · 2026-11-15 Sun 13:37 UTC · link
There are a few guns that exist that could achieve the necessary velocity (just shy of 4,000 mph) but they’re not handheld. But yes, it would be possible for the right gun to fire a bullet that went around the moon and hit you in the back of the head.
[−]m4rtink · 2026-11-15 Sun 18:41 UTC · link
Lunar gravity field is very uneven - that one orbit might be enough for it slighly change where the bullet shows up again.