The intermediate axis theorem , also known as the tennis racket theorem, is a classical mechanics description of the motion of a rigid body with three distinct principal moments of inertia. This means it requires a different amount of torque (rotational force) to rotate the object about each axis. The phenomenon is also known as the Dzhanibekov effect after the Russian cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov who demonstrated the theorem in 1985 while in space.
The theorem states that rotation of an object around its first and third principal axes is stable whereas rotation around its second principal axis (the intermediate axis) is not. When demonstrated in microgravity aboard the International Space Station, the t-shaped handle can be seen flipping back and forth as it spins unstably about its intermediate axis. The theorem can be quantitatively analyzed using Euler’s equations that describe rigid body dynamics.
Source: https://youtu.be/1n-HMSCDYtM
KSP Explanation: https://youtu.be/-Si6iRL5Fj8
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