Astronaut Demonstrates Gyroscope Stabilisation In Space

European Space Agency astronaut Tim Peake has demonstrated the microgravitational effect on a toy gyroscope in space.

While under the influence of microgravity, a gyroscope will tumble and roll when tapped around just like anything else in space will, but when under the influence of rotational movement, the gyroscope’s physics change completely.

After rotation has started, you can tap on the gyroscope and rather than tumbling and rolling, the gyroscope will keep the same plane, moving through space.

This is similar to why large impacts on planets hardly affect the planes of planets, but just leave huge craters instead.