A. A. Zhevnin’s scientific contributions

This paper contains a survey of results connected with the problem of terminal control of complex dynamic objects with lumped or distributed parameters. The accent of the exposition is placed on questions of synthesis of control algorithms on the basis of inverse problems. A special feature of the survey is that the complexity of the object is represented by both the mathematical symptoms (nonlinearity and nonstationarity of the mathematical operator of the object, multi-dimensionality of the inputs and outputs, and closed, bounded nature of the spaces in which they vary) and the contents symptoms (nonuniqueness of the behavior of the object under conditions of indeterminacy that are characterized by the absence, within known ranges, of any information regarding the current and future values of some factors of the object and its environment.

Feedback control laws for motion in the vertical plane of a space shuttle vehicle during the approach and flattening-out stage are developed on the basis of the inverse dynamics problem. Values of control actions are determined from the solution of a first-order differential equation.