No, this isn’t a gun that floats in space and shoots stuff. This is a gun that rests on Earth’s surface, and uses an incredible amount of energy to blast stuff straight into space without the aid of rockets. Although no Space Gun has been successfully constructed, some attempts have come pretty close, and scientists have confirmed that these attempts were wicked cool.

This is a picture of project HARP, a space gun that almost did what it was supposed to do. But, there are a few technical problems and limitations to using a massive cannon to shoot stuff into space. For example, achieving optimal orbit requires delicate maneuvering, and if you haven’t noticed, cannons are not exactly elegant, because you know, they are basically just explosions in tubes. Secondly, the cannon obviously cannot shoot humans into space, because according to calculations, the immense G-force would be stronger than the human body could withstand. In other words, it would probably turn you into a puddle of screaming goo.