Don't be an ass, CQ. Steve knows his stuff. Gas springs do not just have pressure on one side of the piston. It is the volume of the rod that compresses the gas as it retracts and takes up more space in the cylinder. The small orifice in the piston that allows gas to pass by the piston also regulates the rate at which the rod extends.

WingRiggers as developed by Steve Koerner and now produced by MM Fabrication use gas springs, so the design and mechanics are well understood by us. Plus, we just had to cut a few apart for fun.