Aliens - M56 Smartgun

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The M56 Smartgun system consists of four major components — the M56 combat harness, the Head Mounted Sight (HMS), the stabilized articulation arm and the gun itself.[3]
The M56 is carried into combat on a self-aiming stabilized mount that is linked to an infrared target tracking system for accurate, autonomous aiming.[2] The mount also negates the traditional need to position or set up the machine gun prior to opening fire. The gun itself is constructed largely from molded carbon fibre and light alloy stampings, though some interior parts are made of high-strength plastics.[4] The weapon's barrel is easily replaceable and air-cooled, although an additional heat sink attachment can be jacketed onto it to further improve sustained fire capabilities.[1] The M56 is 122 cm long, incorporating a 54.5 cm barrel, while the entire gun assembly, including the harness and a full load of ammunition, masses 17.82 kg.[4]

 A diagram of the M56 Smartgun.
 Unusually, the M56 incorporates two different firing mechanisms in its design — firing is controlled either by depressing a red "fire" button mounted on the forward hand grip, or by lifting a firing handle mounted beneath the rear grip.[5] A selector on the forward grip switches the weapon between its Safe, Burst and Autofire settings. The Burst setting will fire four-round bursts, while the Autofire setting will continue to fire the weapon at its full cyclic rate so long as either of the triggers remains depressed.[5] Clicking off the safety will also automatically charge the weapon (provided there is not already a round chambered), although Marines have expressed disdain for this system, citing it as a major cause of stoppages, and prefer instead to manually charge the weapon after reloading using the cocking handle on the right side.[5]


The gun's rotating breech and feed mechanism are powered by an internal motor. In the event of a stoppage, the charging handle can be used to clear the mechanism.[5] Smartgun ammunition is stored on a roll of continuous plastic non-disintegrating link belt; the drum magazine on the M56 typically holds 500 rounds[1] and can be quickly reloaded in the field.


While the operator is standing, the gun is held and steered by its fore and back grips. The gun can also be fired from a prone position, although owning the weapon's unique design, this entails the operator lying on their back. When prone, the gun is controlled with the foregrip and the charging handle, the latter of which must be locked forwards for this purpose.[6]

NASA’s “Flying Saucer” Successfully Passes Flight Test -technobuffalo

"High over the Pacific Ocean on Saturday, NASA’s LDSD “flying saucer” spacecraft traveled at almost four times the speed of sound as it raced upwards toward the heavens. At approximately 180,000 feet, NASA successfully performed the craft’s first crucial test imperative for a possible future Mars mission. But not everything went according to plan.

After deploying the craft’s doughnut-shaped inflatable device, dubbed Supersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (SIAD), NASA was able to slow the saucer’s descent to a more manageable 2.5x the speed of sound. But upon deploying the LDSD’s giant parachute—the second and most crucial part of NASA’s test launch—the chute became tangled, and the spacecraft eventually splashed down into the Pacific Ocean. It was supposed to land gently.

If there was payload on that craft—or worse, humans—the mission would have been an unmitigated disaster. But luckily this was just a test, and NASA can use that data to improve upon the LDSD’s systems. The agency is using a parachute system that dates back to the 1970s, but with heavier payloads and a larger overall chute—about 36 meters in diameter.

Stating the obvious, Dan Coatta, one of the mission specialists, said it appeared as though the chute didn’t “deploy that well.” NASA tested the LDSD technology at extremely high altitudes because they’re most similar to the upper atmosphere of Mars."

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NASA’s “Flying Saucer” Flight Test