Angled engines

[JokingHinge]

What does angling engines do other than prevent engines from hitting parts of your craft? I see small engines angled on one of the images of the soyuz rocket.

Edited July 2, 2014 by JokingHinge
Answered

[Pecan]

Mostly it can prevent the exhaust from hitting something, such as a wider payload (asteroid?) behind them.

On attempts to create space-shuttle type vehicles it is generally to ensure the axis of thrust passes through the centre of mass so the vehicle does not rotate (much) under thrust.

[Taki117]

they provide thrust in that direction, i.e if you have straight engines on your shuttle they are going to want to push you over, wheras if you angle them properly they will provide some useful thrust.

[UbioZur]

I am not a expert, but I guess you would like to get angle on your engine to:

- Avoid the exhaust to hit a part of your rocket

- Getting the exhaust further to avoid over heating

- Aligning Center of Thrust with Center of Mass.

I quickly googled soyus rocket and I don't really see any angled engines, Sure the side boosters are conic, but the engines seems to be pointing down.

[Orionkermin]

Unless he's talking about the verniers on the soyuz, which aid in steering.

[Red Iron Crown]

Having the engines' thrust vectors point through the center of mass can help prevent bad things from happening if an engine fails. The tradeoff is reduced usable thrust, as some of it is going in a non-useful direction.

[JokingHinge]

Wow, I just tested out a rocket with 4 angled engines and one of them turned off, the stabilization amazes me! Could somebody explain the physics of that?

Edited July 2, 2014 by JokingHinge

[Kasuha]

Wow, I just tested out a rocket with 4 angled engines and one of them turned off, the stabilization amazes me! Could somebody explain the physics of that?

If your angled engines were pointing through the ship's center of mass, then your ship was maybe flying a bit sideways (your thrust vector was not equal to your prograde vector). If they were not pointing through the center of mass, your rocket should start tumbling as soon as you turned one off.