In 1975, the USSR fired a cannon from an orbiting space station

The Soviet Union also launched an anti-SDI laser test satellite via the Energia heavy lifter, casually demonstrating the highest payload capacity since the Saturn V: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Polyus_%28spacecraft%29" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Polyus_%28spacecraft%29</a><p>Thankfully, it failed to reach orbit due to a software bug.<p>(Said Energia rocket would then launch the Soviet space shuttle, Buran, on a completely unmanned mission, including autopiloted runway landing – something the US STS never could, because astronauts lobbied against any and every automation for fear of being made redundant.)

The fact that Popular Mechanics scanned, traced, and digitally reconstructed the exterior of the weapon from some grainy footage is almost more interesting than the article itself.

I&#x27;m wondering about &#x27;kick&#x27; when firing a cannon mounted in an aluminum can (space station). Why didn&#x27;t the thing rip a hole? And what about orbital mechanics - the cannon ball goes that way, space station goes the other way. And the gasses expelled from the breech - noxious fumes in an enclosed space! It sounds like a fabulously dangerous thing.

Was the purpose of the cannon to take down other satellites or just for research purposes? Presumably whilst this appears to be a weapon with a considerable range, satellites don&#x27;t operate that close to each other?<p>The mathematics to calculate hitting another satellite traveling in a different orbit and at a different speed sounds like an interesting challenge.<p>If you were trying to disable a satellite what would be the best target? Solar cells?