What the gyros do

[Bob Norton]

If you will recall, the V-2 was launched straight up, like all "ballistic"
missiles. It was steered during the period before brenschluss. The gyros
provided inertial reference against which the radio steering telemetry was
differentiated. The resulting signal adjusted steering vanes to control
flight direction. Modern ICBM's use steering rockets to the same effect
(steering rockets are not affected by variations in atmospheric density and
vanes are). Without the gyros and the steering telemetry, the V-2 would have
flown about 35-40 miles straight up, flipped over, and come down on the
launcher.

                                                Bob N.

>Guidance system? What does he think was the guidance system? The two
>important factors in determining the final destination of the V2 were
>the direction it was pointed in and the amount of time it was moving
>under rocket propulsion. I believe that the gyro was used to determine
>acceleration and thence via a relevant piece of double integrating
>electronic circuitry distance travelled.  Once a preset distance had
>been travelled the circuitry cut off the fuel supply - the notorious
>Brennschluss, literally `burning cutoff' - leaving the rocket to
>continue in `pure ballistic' mode. You don't need to read a commentary
>to verify this. It is explained in GR itself.
>