Videos tagged with Space Shuttle

Despite significant investment, NASA has not returned to the Moon due to the repurposing of outdated Space Shuttle hardware for political reasons, rather than strategic advancement. This approach, driven by maintaining jobs and appeasing congressional districts, contrasts with the potential lunar resources like Helium-3 and the broader goals of Mars exploration, creating a strategic inconsistency.

Astronauts, despite being elite personnel, face significant psychological challenges in space due to extreme isolation and mission duration. The vast distances to celestial bodies like Mars, compared to Low Earth Orbit, amplify these stressors. Long-duration deep space travel presents physiological and psychological hurdles that humans are not evolved to handle, necessitating careful consideration for future missions.

This video tests the ballistic resistance of a thick 7075 aluminum plate, commonly used in space shuttles, against rifle and PDW calibers. A custom 6-barrel AR-15 Gatling rig firing 5.56x45mm rounds penetrated about halfway through the plate. An MP7 firing 4.6x30mm rounds caused significant surface damage but less penetration. The conclusion is that the aluminum plate is effectively bulletproof against these specific calibers at this thickness.

This video tests the ballistic resistance of 7075 aircraft-grade aluminum against various firearms, from 9mm to .50 BMG. While most handgun and intermediate rifle rounds cause surface damage or shallow craters, they fail to penetrate the inch-thick aluminum. Larger calibers like .338 Lapua Magnum and .50 BMG demonstrate significant material deformation, with the .50 BMG API round eventually penetrating multiple plates.