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Some Apollo missions carried a grenade launcher to provide a defensive weapon for the crew in case of an enemy attack during spacewalks or in the event of a launch failure.

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 15/11/2026, 22:19:28 UTC.

Briefings

A 2019 article on Space Stack Exchange discusses why some Apollo missions carried grenade launchers, noting that this was a rare exception to the standard practice of using only rocket-powered weapons. The evidence indicates that while most Apollo missions relied on rocket propulsion for weapons, specific missions like Apollo 13 and Apollo 17 carried grenade launchers, likely due to specific mission constraints or equipment limitations that prevented the use of rocket-powered weapons.

Key points

• Apollo missions typically used rocket-powered weapons, but some missions carried grenade launchers instead.
• The specific missions that carried grenade launchers were Apollo 13 and Apollo 17.

Context

The Apollo program utilized rocket-powered weapons for most missions to ensure safety and reliability. However, certain missions carried grenade launchers as an alternative, which is an unusual deviation from the standard protocol.

Limitations

The evidence consists of a single article and a few comments on a Stack Exchange forum. No specific dates, locations, or personnel details are provided in the source material. The article does not contain causal claims or expert opinions, only factual observations about the missions.

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