Professor Eric Laithwate predicted that something ...

Question

strange would be discovered with his gyroscopes on an upcoming space flight.

I have'nt heard anything since. Is there anything about gyroscopes that we cannot explain ?

Answer 1

No, gyroscopes are well understood on the basis of the laws of classical mechanics. Indeed, their behaviour is entirely a consequence of those laws, so that there is no way that there can be anything "strange" about them in the sense that Laithwaite meant.

Answer 2

The gyro has been used for years as a compass at sea (on a non moving ship it points true north, slightly off at normal ship speeds). They have also been used as accelerometers to sense changes in direction and velocity and to this end can be used in stabilisation  and inertial navigation systems,

The only odd thing I can imagine is that a gyro compass would not be much use in outer space but accelerometers would function just as well as on Earth.