Extreme Pojectile Velocity

[Ranger CS]

I watched a very interesting program on the Discovery Chanel I think is worth sharing. "How Fast Is Fast". I found the entire program very interesting however the content regarding NASA's Ames Vertical Gun was extremely interesting. The gun was demonstrated shooting a small 1/8" diameter aluminum BB at a block of marble. This projectile was shot out of the gun at 11,800 mph or 17,307 feet/second. The marble block was pretty much blown into dust fragments on impact by this very small lightweight projectile traveling at this speed. A great example of what projectile velocity is all about.

[densa44]

I see that it was made of Aluminum. Was that an essential part of the system? Why a BB and not a cone?

How did they get it going so fast, magnets and electricity?

[Boogerfart]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-gas_gun

Here's how they did it, very cool stuff, makes me want one...

[densa44]

Very clever but not that high tech. Have people tried to make their own?
I have some shotgun shells you can have.

[Ranger CS]

Originally Posted by densa44

Very clever but not that high tech. Have people tried to make their own?
I have some shotgun shells you can have.

Something going 3000 ft./sec. scares me. Convert the max velocity this thing is capable of, 15,000 mph to feet per second and you get 22,000 ft./sec. More than scary fast.

[markg]

Makes you wonder about space travel and the speeds needed to even make it to Mars. What happens to a ship if you you hit a pebble in space doing that speed?

[EZM]

Originally Posted by densa44

Very clever but not that high tech. Have people tried to make their own?
I have some shotgun shells you can have.

Just make sure your BB is .23 or larger ..... lol ..... drop is less than 1" at 11 miles .... lol

[SlightlyDistracting]

[QUOTE=EZM;3667521]Just make sure your BB is .23 or larger ..... lol ..... drop is less than 1" at 11 miles .... lol[/QUOTE

[Ranger CS]

Originally Posted by densa44

I see that it was made of Aluminum. Was that an essential part of the system? Why a BB and not a cone?

How did they get it going so fast, magnets and electricity?

At the far end of the 14 foot barrel, a gunpowder explosion is used to compress hydrogen gas to as much as 1 million times atmospheric pressure. The compressed gas gets released and sent down the launch tube, firing a projectile pellet at speeds between 7,000 and 15,000 mph. The shot enters the cylinder, in which low pressure or even a vacuum is maintained. High-speed cameras mounted on windows around the cylinder record the impact aftermath at up to 1 million frames per second.