ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Gimbaled thrust

Imagine you are holding a toy spaceship with a little rocket engine underneath it. Now imagine you are flying through space and want to move the spaceship up, down, left or right. How would you do that?

One way is to turn the spaceship itself in the direction you want to go. This can work, but it can also be slow and take a lot of energy. That's where gimbaled thrust comes in.

Gimbaled thrust is like having a flexible rocket engine that can move around. It's kind of like a water hose that you can move in different directions to spray water where you want it to go.

The rocket engine is attached to a device called a gimbal, which allows it to tilt and swivel in any direction. When you want to move the spaceship, you can tilt the rocket engine in the opposite direction. This creates a force that pushes the spaceship in the direction you want to go.

Gimbaled thrust is really useful for steering rockets, spaceships and other flying vehicles. It allows them to change direction quickly and efficiently without having to turn the whole vehicle. This saves energy and helps the vehicle move faster and more precisely.

So if you ever want to go on a space adventure, remember that gimbaled thrust is what makes it possible to navigate through the galaxy!