Railguns

Railguns are a topic that have been included in countless Sci-Fi media. The American Department of the Navy has been working to make this idea a reality.
What is a Railgun? It is a "Weapon, consisting mainly of conducting metal rails, that uses electromagnetic force to accelerate a projectile to a much greater speed than achieved"
It was idealized as the "perfect weapon". Using electromagnetic propulsion would eliminate the need for ammunition, thereby making a much safer ship to sail on. Making it a reality was much harder than expected. The projectile moved so fast that the friction melted the gun. Once they fixed that problem, the projectile vaporized when it entered the atmosphere. Also they had to solve the problem of power. The Navy is designing a new battleship so that the power will be derived from the main engine.
Dec 10, 2010 the NAVY succesfully launched the projectile through the railgun at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division. At launch the projectile had 33 Megajoules- 1 Megajoule is the equivalent of a 1-ton ar traveling a 100 mph. It demolished the target at impact an set the guinness world record for most energy upon launch. Much more than had been achieved by ammunition.
Sincerely, Space Cadet