What happens when two galaxies collide as opposed to what many believe, the stars that compose it do not necessarily clash, but in the process one could break the gravitational structure of the other, besides supermassive black holes in each galaxy can achieve join .

How long does it take to collide? are so large that happens over hundreds of millions of years. In fact Arp 274 or NGC 5679, asgiven to this pair of galaxies are about 200,000 light-years long.

related to the topic, NewScientist produced a video quite educational about how the process where two colliding galaxies using Hubble images and via computer simulation.

In the 90s the American project took place Super High Altitude Research Project (or SHARP) with which investigated the feasibility of launching projectiles at high speed into the atmosphere remains the ultimate goal to see if it could propel the satellite to Earth orbit by this technique. For inquiries built a gigantic hydrogen gas gun that got to throw objects from a few kilos at speeds of 3 kmper second . Finally the project was abandoned, but now many of those who participated in it intend to resume the investigations and build an even bigger gun .

John Hunter , one of the physicists who helped build the barrel of the SHARP project, announced the birth of a company (Quicklunch) formed by him and other ex-colleagues from SHARP, to create a new version much more potent first gun: the newmachine measured 1.1 kilometers long and expects to launch loads of 450 kilos to the impressive speed of six kilometers per second . All this for what?

The various space agencies have long been investigating new ways of transporting fuel to the space and that current methods are extremely expensive. The idea of Hunter and his companions is get a gun that is capable of sending payloads offuel into space, system costs substantially less costly . That yes, there are several problems to be overcome, first is the slowdown that will suffer the burden upon contact with the atmosphere and on the other the tremendous temperatures will have to endure the projectile as it passes through it.

Realistically they pull forward the project is complicated, need 500 million dollars to build their mega-cannon and as I said in the 90s and investigated what they now want to return Hunter and his companions. Personally I would like everybody does not remain in nothing, if only to see a launch of such a beast .