angular momentum & axis alignment

Can anyone help me understand what the constraints are on pointing the
axis of a structure with a lot of angular momentum? I know that you
can't easily change the axis of such a system (this is how gyroscopes
work, after all), but is it feasible to keep it pointed at the Sun
throughout its orbit?

I believe some of the early space settlement designs assumed exactly
this arrangement, and I have a fairly high degree of confidence that
those engineers knew what they were doing. But I'd still like to make
sure this isn't a problem.

Many thanks,
- Joe
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Mori Seki SL1 NC lathe programming
    ... with some irrelevancy about manual lathes. ... pointing to the right, and X+ is pointing toward the top of the monitor, ... and your index finger pointing toward the column (the Y+ ... Now turn your hand counterclockwise rotating around the the Z axis ...
    (alt.machines.cnc)
  • Re: Mori Seki SL1 NC lathe programming
    ... with some irrelevancy about manual lathes. ... pointing to the right, and X+ is pointing toward the top of the monitor, ... you have the right hand rule for the + & - axes directions ... Now turn your hand counterclockwise rotating around the the Z axis ...
    (alt.machines.cnc)
  • Re: Mounting Hard Drives on fast Accelerating Vehicles
    ... Pivot it 90 degrees. ... that the drive is up to speed so that angular momentum effects ... the direction of the torque is irrelevant since the ... That's why I suggested that the axis of the spinning disk be ...
    (comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage)
  • Re: Curving an object ball(Part IV-Whos on First?) - conclusion (?) -- LONG
    ... I don't see how this related to angular momentum being a vector. ... The motion of the ball is constrained by the table to be in two ... universe as the axis that gravity would act on or straight up and down ... shots, or the behavior of pool balls, with only two-dimensional ...
    (rec.sport.billiard)
  • two asteroid mysteries
    ... Most small asteroids have an angular momentum (at least ... cone with the surface of the asteroid is an irregular ... the instantaneous axis of rotation is constrained to ...
    (sci.astro)