From 1996-2007 Russian Cosmonauts carried with them a survival gun- the TP-82. This odd weapon was three-barreled with 2x .40 gauge shotgun barrels and a 5.45 x 39mm barrel. The butt also held a machete! The explanation for this was in case the crew landed in hostile territory and had to fight off "animals". More likely it was a form of defensive weapon to protect Russian tech/property much like the German bomber crews that carried Drillings in WW2. But this is nothing new as Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961 carried a Makarov pistol with the same explanation. But most agree it was a suicide weapon in case anything went wrong and the Cosmonaut was trapped in space with limited air supply or would face burning alive in the atmosphere if the shielding failed or if it came in at an odd angle that served to roast the Cosmonaut alive. What is even more disturbing are the persistant rumors that the Russians are developing a new weapon that is part blinding laser and also fires 7mm rocket projectiles which means it will not be a survival weapon but a space gun for military action. Cosmonaut against Astronaut or Taikonaut???

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