Light-gas gun

A light-gas gun at Rice University. Using hydrogen gas and powered by a shotgun shell, it achieves a velocity of 7 km/s. Used during the development of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope shield.

The light-gas gun is an apparatus for physics experiments. It is a highly specialized gun designed to generate extremely high velocities. It is usually used to study high-speed impact phenomena (hypervelocity research), such as the formation of impact craters by meteorites or the erosion of materials by micrometeoroids. Some basic material research relies on projectile impact to create high pressure; such systems are capable of forcing liquid hydrogen into a metallic state.[citation needed]


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