How does a gyroscope work in space?
Understanding some of the concepts behind gyroscopic principles requires a background in mechanics and vector arithmetic, so I won’t attempt a full treatment here, but it works the same in space as here on Earth. Basically something of sufficient inertia that is spinning fast enough strongly resists linear and angular acceleration in predictable ways. If you were to spin a bicycle wheel, grab the ends of the axle and try to move it around, you can get some idea of how this peculiar principle behaves. This effect is in large part why spinning bullets shot from rifled barrels are more accurate and, of course, why tops spin without falling over. Knowing how it will behave allows designers to use a gyro in many ways. Mounting a gyroscope in a gimble (something that pivots easily in any axis direction) gives a stable direction reference to keep track of which way is “up” (for example) so a computer in a spacecraft can keep track of what direction it is pointing. Multiple gimbled gyros with
