Spin stabilization doesn't work the same way in vacuum. The in-atmosphere version is designed to combat drag torque effects to keep the streamlined profile nose-on to the direction of travel. Drag torque doesn't happen in a vacuum. For a dumb projectile, orientation won't matter at all on impact. A smart projectile will need active attitude control (gyros, jets, or a combination.

On Mon, Jun 29, 2015 at 10:47 AM, Greg Nokes <greg@nokes.name> wrote:

On Jun 29, 2015, at 7:50 AM, Grimmund <grimmund@gmail.com> wrote:

On Mon, Jun 29, 2015 at 8:43 AM, Ethan McKinney
<ethan.mckinney@gmail.com> wrote:
Wind drag strips it off. In space, you could just glue it on. If you
can build gyros and sensors sturdy enough to withstand the launch, you
could use the space in the sabot for guidance.

You could use gyros, but spinning the projectile is very simple. Depends on
size and type of shell.

True, but when the western units went to the DS rounds, they also went
to a 120mm smooth bore. No rifling, no spin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheinmetall_120_mm_gun

I am not sure that spinning it will stabilize it in a vacuum. I was
under the impression it acted in concert with air drag. IDK, though.

I was always under the impression that the spin induced Gyroscopic Precession: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession#Torque-induced - if that’s true then it’s not reliant on air drag - and it will keep the pointy bit pointed forward as long as it’s spinning.

Of course at high enough speed, who cares if it’s tumbling, ass backward or what ever when it impacts.
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Craig Berry (http://google.com/+CraigBerry)
"Eternity is in love with the productions of time." - William Blake