Atterbury had gone to the condenser room and was waiting for the order to start, while Burke was making the final adjustment of the gyroscopes which would put the Ring on its predetermined course.
"The Man Who Rocked the Earth"
Arthur Train Robert Williams Wood
Then the Moonship released small objects, steadied by gyroscopes and flung away by puffs of compressed air.
"Space Tug"
Murray Leinster
Though the machine was held stable by the gyroscopes, she was dropping freely; but they had fifty miles to fall, and as the resistance of the denser air mounted, they could begin to feel the sense of weight return.
"The Black Star Passes"
John W Campbell