Why Soviet Cosmonauts Carried a Gun to Space

 For decades, the standard survival kit carried by Russian cosmonauts aboard Soyuz spacecraft included a specially made gun and a few dozen rounds to protect against wild animals if the astronauts landed in the Siberian forest. They were the only spacefaring nation to arm their astronauts, and this raised some eyebrows. But the Soviets had their reasons.

Re-entry and landing is a difficult process because the re-entry vehicle must withstand enormous amounts of force when it hits the Earth's atmosphere. With re-entry speeds of around 25,000 km per hour, the slightest engine malfunction could alter the trajectory resulting in astronauts landing hundreds of miles away. Much of Russia is desolate wilderness, from which rescue may take days. As the astronauts waited, they not only had to survive the cold but also fight off hostile bears and wolves.

In 1965, cosmonauts Pavel Belyaev and Alexey Leonov, while returning from a very successful Voskhod 2 mission, turned their spacecraft off course and landed in the forests of Siberia, about 240 miles from the intended landing zone. Leonov and Belyaev knew very well that they would have to spend the night alone in the taiga, where bears and wolves roamed. For protection, the astronauts were provided with a 9mm semi-automatic, but Leonov was well aware that the firearm would prove inadequate against a 500-pound bear.

Although Leonov did not encounter any bears, this experience inspired him to advocate the issue of a purpose-designed cosmonaut survival pistol for future missions. This resulted in the TP-82, also known as TOZ-82.

The TP-82 was a triple-barreled shotgun that used two different calibers. The upper two barrels were smoothbore and used special 12.5×70mm ammunition, also known as 40 gauge. The lower barrel was rifled and used 5.45×39mm ammunition, the same as that used by the AK-74 assault rifle. The firearm had a detachable stock that also doubled as a scalpel and came with a canvas sheath. In addition to buckshot, the TP-82 could also fire flares to signal for help.

The TP-82 became a part of the standard survival kit and was regularly carried on Soviet and Russian space missions from 1986 to 2006. The gun was also provided to some Soviet Air Force units, possibly for aircrews operating in particularly inaccessible areas. Even NASA astronauts trained with the TP-82 during a drill in the Black Sea, where they fired shells from a boat.

Astronaut Jim Voss said, "It was amazing how many bottles of wine, beer and vodka the crew brought for us to shoot." "It was very accurate," he added. “We threw the bottles as far as we could, probably 20 or 30 metres, then shot them. It was a trivial matter to hit the bottles with musket balls, and it was relatively easy to hit them with rifle bullets on the first shot.

Dave Wolf, another astronaut who spent four months on Russia's Mir space station in 1997–98, described the weapon as "a wonderful gun". Wolf said: "I found it well balanced, highly accurate, and convenient to use."

In 2007, it was announced that the remaining ammunition for the TP-82 had become unusable and the weapon was withdrawn. A standard semi-automatic pistol was provided in its place. However, before each mission Russian space agency officials take a vote to decide whether the crew should carry the gun.

The issue of weapons in space is controversial. American space journalist and historian James Oberg argues that "the presence of the gun, especially in light of recent space team psychological problems, could be an invitation to future disaster."

Oberg proposes to reduce the risk by placing the gun in a compartment that is only accessible from outside the Soyuz after landing, to prevent anyone from using the gun during flight. Ober's suggestion was ignored.