Rigid-Body Dynamics from the Euler Equations to the Attitude Control of Spacecraft in the Works of Scientists from Saint Petersburg State University. Part 1.

This review, which consists of several works, is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg State University (SPbSU) and is an attempt to analyze the scientific achievements of the St. Petersburg School of Mathematics and Mechanics in the field of rigid-body dynamics. This work, which is the first part of the review, covers the main achievements of the period from the founding of SPbSU to the mid-1970s. Due to the commemorative nature of this work, the scientific results obtained at SPbSU are considered in the context of events inextricably linked with the founding of the Academy of Sciences, the University and the gymnasium in 1724 and their further development over the subsequent 250 years. Due to the impossibility of covering even briefly all the publications that appeared during this period, attention is focused on the most important general areas of scientific thought and on those outstanding scientists of SPbSU, whose works enriched these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]