Space anchor idea

[Dave Wave]

I apologise in advance for any of my ignorance. 
 

my question is could you use gyroscopes in counter acting orientation to either make a space anchor or use it to detect gravitational variation? 
I understand that it would use a lot of energy input for fairly small output but could it be done?

it would have to be done in a very low or almost zero gravity environment 

As gyroscopes like to stay in place on it axis when spinning, using the end of the axis as a resistance force. Could these be counter balanced in such a way to provide stability of movement in space where nothing can be physically touched. 
 

not sure I’m explaining it right, so please feel free to ask anything.

many thanks for any consideration or contemplation 

[swansont]

Yes, you’re on the right track.  Gyroscopes are used to provide stability for satellites and control their orientation 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_moment_gyroscope

[Ghideon]

12 hours ago, Dave Wave said:

my question is could you use gyroscopes in counter acting orientation to either make a space anchor

Not sure about "anchor", intuitive answer is "no" but clarification might be needed. By "anchor" you mean can gyros be used to make it harder to move something, like an anchor prevents a shop from drifting away? Gyros are harder to rotate but not harder to move.

 

1 hour ago, swansont said:

Gyroscopes are used to provide stability for satellites and control their orientation

Yes. One example is the Kepler spacecraft. What makes this interesting is that two of it's four gyros broke down and required a lot of investigations how to adjust observations according to that fact. That means that there is lots of documentation about the performance of the gyros, their issues and various attempts at workarounds. AFIK Kepler had four gyros (wikipedia/Reaction_wheel) and failure of two severely affected, but did not put an end to the mission to hunt for exo-planets.

@Dave Wave here are some references that may be interesting from an engineering point of view:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/kepler/nasa-ends-attempts-to-fully-recover-kepler-spacecraft-potential-new-missions-considered

Quote

An engineering study will be conducted on the modifications required to manage science operations with the spacecraft using a combination of its remaining two good reaction wheels and thrusters for spacecraft attitude control.

https://www.nasa.gov/content/kepler-mission-manager-update-preparing-for-recovery

 

https://www.nasa.gov/content/ames/kepler-mission-manager-update-k2-has-been-approved

Quote

The team received good news from NASA HQ — the K2 mission, the two-wheel operation mode of the Kepler spacecraft observing in the ecliptic, has been approved based on a recommendation from the agency’s 2014 Senior Review of its operating missions.

 

 

12 hours ago, Dave Wave said:

detect gravitational variation?

A space based device to detect gravitational waves needs stability and gyroscopes are one option. But could the gyroscopes them self be used for more than stability? Interesting question that I do not have an opinion* at the moment. I think the question could be phrased like: does rotating gyros, when affected by a passing gravitational wave, add any value when trying to detect the wave? Does general relativity, when applied to rotating mass, make any predictions that would favour detections? I have no answer at this time but I find the question interesting.  Other members will probably have answers.

 

 

*) If I had to make an educated guess I would say "no, gyros does not add value regarding the detection except for stability". But that opinion has about zero scientific value.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Ghideon
spelling

[Ghideon]

On 2/1/2020 at 1:59 PM, Ghideon said:

like an anchor prevents a shop from drifting away?

like an anchor prevents a ship from drifting away is probably a better analogy...

 

 

[Phi for All]

On 2/1/2020 at 5:59 AM, Ghideon said:

like an anchor prevents a shop from drifting away?

Interestingly (or not), in commercial real estate the major shop in a shopping center that drives traffic for the smaller shops and keeps them from going out of business (drifting away?) is called the anchor. 

[Dave Wave]

Thank you for all your feedback. I’m currently working on some mental health issues and cannot reply on give the answers the time that I would like to in regards to research and time and I struggle to express the concept fully and accurately, more to come but I have to work on my stability at this time

 

kind regards 

David Wavish 

[beecee]

The most accurate gyroscopes ever made [I presume] were those on GP-B.

https://einstein.stanford.edu/TECH/technology1.html#gyros

World's Most Perfect Gyroscopes:

To measure the minuscule angles predicted by Einstein’s theory, the GP-B team needed to build a near-perfect gyroscope—one whose spin axis would not drift away from its starting point by more than one hundred-billionth of a degree each hour that it was spinning. By comparison, the spin-axis drift in the most sophisticated Earth-based gyroscopes, found in high-tech aircraft and nuclear submarines, is seven orders of magnitude (more than ten million times) greater than GP-B could allow.

Gyro Rotors

Three physical characteristics of any gyroscope can cause its spin axis to drift, independently of the general relativity precession predicted by Einstein’s theory:

An imbalance in mass or density distribution inside the gyroscope

An uneven, asymmetrical surface on the outside of the gyroscope

Friction between the bearings and axle of the gyroscope.

This meant that a GP-B gyroscope rotor had to be perfectly balanced and homogenous inside, had to be free from any bearings or supports, and had to operate in a vacuum of only a few molecules. After years of work and the invention of new technologies and processes for polishing, measuring sphericity, and coating, the result was a homogenous 1.5-inch sphere of pure fused quartz, polished to within a few atomic layers of perfectly smooth. In fact, the GP-B gyro rotors are now listed in the Guinness Database of World Records as being the roundest objects ever manufactured, topped in sphericity only by neutron stars.

more at link.....

[MigL]

The answer is right there on TV re-runs of The Big Bang Theory.
Use a quantum liquid for the gyroscopic mass.
It would be self-balancing and have minimal friction.

I'll leave it up to someone else to work through the 'trivial' implementation issues (   )