Quasi-optimal deceleration of rotational motion of a dynamically symmetric rigid body in a resisting medium

We study the problem of quasi-optimal (with respect to the response time) deceleration of rotational motion of a free rigid body which experiences a small retarding torque generated by a linearly resisting medium. We assume that the undeformed body is dynamically symmetric and its mass is concentrated on the symmetry axis. A system of nonlinear differential equations describing the evolution of rotation of the rigid body is obtained and studied.