The Bullet, the Gun, and the Powder

In Chapters 6-9, a team of 4 gunners meet on three consecutive nights to discuss what the projectile, the cannon and the propellant will be made of. On the First night, the men decide on the projectile. It will need to be nine feet in diameter, so they can observe in through a telescope. Because of this enormous size, it will weigh close to 20,000 pounds and will be made of aluminum, which is three times lighter than cast iron, but very expensive. It will need to be fired at 12,000 yards per second, or about 7 miles per second. On the second night, they discuss the gun from which the bullet will be fired. One of the four on the committee states that it will need to be over a half of a mile long, rationally to other cannons of the time. Everyone is appalled by this number, and they are able to make calculations providing the length to be only 225 feet. Because of the enormous amount of explosive that will need to be used, the canon will be very thick and underground, preventing a burst. This gun will be a cannon and a howitzer and a mortar. A cannon because of the propulsion concept, a howitzer because the gun can not kick when it fires, and a mortar because it will be vertical. On the third night, the decide upon the propellant. Gunpowder is the first alternative, but because of the massive volume they would need, is ruled out. The winning material is guncotton, which is a treated cloth that is many times more explosive than gunpowder, leading to less space consumption-only 27 cubic feet. guncotton is also unaffected by moisture, so it will preserve well while they are setting up.