Nonlinear time optimal control of a rotating rigid body (Q1179361)

The paper derives the optimal control of a nonlinear mechanical system without using the classical approach of the maximum principle of Pontryagin. The analysis based on the potential energy of the system, provides some insight on the form of the optimal control. An algorithm for solving the resulting time-point boundary value problem is also presented. It is a pity that the authors do not indicate the advantage of their approach compared to the classical one.