TP-82 cosmonaut triple-barreled firearm with machete stock

[Jon]

In March of 1965, Russian cosmonauts Pavel Belyayev and Alexey Leonov had some mechanical issues with the Voskhod space capsule that they were piloting for re-entry. They landed it 600 miles from the designated landing site, deep in the Ural Mountains in Russia.

The cosmonauts sheltered in the woods for two nights before being rescued. Like many aviators, astronauts and cosmonauts generally carry survival gear. The standard cosmonaut survival kit included a nine-millimeter pistol, which they felt was inadequate protection against the large wildlife (wolves and bears) that roamed the Urals.

Years later, Leonov had advanced to a command position in the Soviet cosmonaut program. Inspired by the Ural survival story, the Soviets developed the TP-82, an unusual weapon used by cosmonauts on space missions from 1986-2006. Three barrels, two hammers, and a machete for a stock. The TP-82 could be used for defense, small game hunting, and shooting signal flares.