Comments on: NASA’s hybrid air/gun powder gun http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/12/17/nasas-hybrid-airgun-power-gun/ Firearms not Politics Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:17:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Steve http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/12/17/nasas-hybrid-airgun-power-gun/#comment-4137 Steve Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:03:24 +0000 http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/?p=3750#comment-4137 ah! thanks for the info. I have updated the post. ah! thanks for the info. I have updated the post.

]]> By: R.A.W. http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/12/17/nasas-hybrid-airgun-power-gun/#comment-4136 R.A.W. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:01:56 +0000 http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/?p=3750#comment-4136 It's called a light gas gun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_gas_gun It works more or less like you've got drawn, although as Billl mentions, there usually is a diaphragm to prevent hydrogen leaking prematurely; a valve wouldn't be fast enough, and hydrogen tends to leak through all but the very best-constructed of valves anyhow. It’s called a light gas gun:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_gas_gun

It works more or less like you’ve got drawn, although as Billl mentions, there usually is a diaphragm to prevent hydrogen leaking prematurely; a valve wouldn’t be fast enough, and hydrogen tends to leak through all but the very best-constructed of valves anyhow.

]]> By: Billll http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/12/17/nasas-hybrid-airgun-power-gun/#comment-4135 Billll Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:37:59 +0000 http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/?p=3750#comment-4135 The ones they have in Tennesee have a diaphragm between the big piston and the sabot, and the piston has a point on it to rupture the diaphragm when it gets all the way forward. The sabot can be anything that will support the weight of the device to be launched.It helps if you design the sabot and experiment in such a way as to prevent the experiment from sinking into the sabot, and failing to separate when launched. In Tenn. they were simulating things re-entering the atmosphere at 20+K Mph. The chamber they fired this into was pumped down to a near vacuum, and they took pictures of your experiment as it went by the small windows. The debris damage to the inside of the tunnel was fascinating to behold. The ones they have in Tennesee have a diaphragm between the big piston and the sabot, and the piston has a point on it to rupture the diaphragm when it gets all the way forward. The sabot can be anything that will support the weight of the device to be launched.It helps if you design the sabot and experiment in such a way as to prevent the experiment from sinking into the sabot, and failing to separate when launched.

In Tenn. they were simulating things re-entering the atmosphere at 20+K Mph. The chamber they fired this into was pumped down to a near vacuum, and they took pictures of your experiment as it went by the small windows.

The debris damage to the inside of the tunnel was fascinating to behold.

]]> By: Steve http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/12/17/nasas-hybrid-airgun-power-gun/#comment-4131 Steve Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:31:46 +0000 http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/?p=3750#comment-4131 they don't say. I wondered about that myself. It is saboted so there is no reason it could not be steel or iron. they don’t say. I wondered about that myself. It is saboted so there is no reason it could not be steel or iron.

]]> By: jdun1911 http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/12/17/nasas-hybrid-airgun-power-gun/#comment-4130 jdun1911 Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:26:02 +0000 http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/?p=3750#comment-4130 How small is the projectile and what is it made out off? It's not lead because at that speed it will disintegrate once out of the barrel. How small is the projectile and what is it made out off? It’s not lead because at that speed it will disintegrate once out of the barrel.

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