Do rockets use gyroscopes to maintain orientation during launch, or do they just gimbal the engines?

Question

I guess my real question is "Is it possible to control the roll of a rocket using one gimballed thruster at the base of the rocket?"

Answer 1

Yes, that is the way to do it. However you still would need the gyroscope to know which way to turn and a control device to calculate how much to turn. Also they do not employ gimbaled thrusters. The engine is stationary the nozzle however varies in geometry to produce a controlled vector thrust.

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