Former NASA Engineer Builds World's Largest Working Nerf Gun

The world's largest working Nerf gun, built by a former NASA engineer, can shoot at 40 mph.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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A former NASA engineer built the world's largest functional Nerf gun. It's safe to say this mammoth would make even your coolest '90s Super Soaker look wack.

The bigger and better Nerf dart gun, or "blaster," was created by former NASA engineer Mark Rober and two other engineers identified as Ryan and David. Rober, who worked nine years for NASA, is now showing off his engineering skills on YouTube.

The Nerf gun—which, yes, is technically not an actual Nerf gun—is seen in the video shooting a "dart" that breaks a glass window. Impressive, but also scary, right? Although one has to admit the drawbacks of the four-foot-tall gun: You just can't run away from people while lugging that around.

Without getting too science-y (a word that totally exists), Rober and his fellow engineers explain how their Nerf gun works. The gun is powered by the air pressure of a 3,000-pounds-per-square-inch paintball tank. When a user pushes the gun's trigger forward, it lets air flow into the firing chamber. When they pull the trigger back, the air is let out into the main cylinder and allows the user to fire away.

The extra large gun's foam darts have been replaced by pool noodles with plunger tops at the end. These "darts" can shoot at 40 mph and stick to objects. When the darts are switched out for another lightweight object, the gun blasts it 130 yards across a football field.

No word yet whether these kids at heart have a Guinness World Record on their hands.

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