Barys Kit
Encyclopedia
Barys Kit is a Belarus
ian mathematician
, physicist
, chemist
and philosopher.
, Russian Empire
to the family of an employee at the Post
and Telegraph Department, a Belarusian
in origin. In 1918 Kit’s family moved to Belarus
, to their native village of Aharodniki (now merged with the town of Karelichy, Hrodna Voblast
).
After graduation from Navahrudak Belarus
ian Lyceum in 1928 Kit entered the physics
and mathematics
faculty of Vilnius University
. After graduation in 1933 he worked as a teacher at Vilnius
Belarusian Lyceum. In 1939 he was appointed its Principal. After the Vilnius Region
had been annexed to Lithuania
in 1939, Kit returned to his native region. He was the Principal of Navahrudak Belarusian High School there and later a superintendent of a large school system district. Hundreds of elementary schools and several dozen high schools were opened in the region within a year due to Kit's direct participation.
During the Nazi Occupation of Belarus
(1941–1944) Kit worked as a teacher in the village of Lebedzeva near Maladzyechna
and later as a director of the Pastavy
Teachers College. He was suspected of having partisan
connections and was arrested by the German
SD
punitive bodies. He spent a month in prison and was saved from execution by his former pupils.
In 1944 Kit and his family moved to Germany, first to Offenbach-Lindau in Bavaria
, then to Munich
. In 1948 Kit emigrated to the United States
. In 1950 he settled in Los Angeles
and worked there as a chemist in various companies.
In the mid-1950s Kit began his scientific activities in the field of astronautics
. For 25 years he worked in the American space
research program. As a mathematician and systems analyst, he took part in projects aimed at the development of intercontinental missile
systems. Kit took part in all the American space research
projects, including mathematical support of the mission to the Moon
.
In 1972 Kit moved to Frankfurt-am-Main in Germany, where he lives as of 2010.
"Rocket Propellant Handbook", published by McMillan in 1960. The book received many positive reviews and is referenced in rocket science publications even today.
In 1982 Kit earned a Ph.D.
in mathematics
and science history from the University of Regensberg
.
Kit is a long-standing member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
, an honorary member of the Hermann Oberth
German Astronautics Society Board of Directors
, a member of the International Astronautics Academy in Paris
, Vice-President of the Eurasia
n International Astronautics Academy, Professor Emeritus of Maryland University, Honorary Doctorate of Science of Hrodna State University
, and Navahrudak's honorable resident.
A "time capsule
" with Kit's name was immured in the wall of Capitol
in Washington, D.C.
. Kit has always remained a conscious Belarusian: “Everything I did in my life —- I did for my homeland and its fame”.
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
, physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
and philosopher.
Biography
Kit was born on April 6, 1910 in Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
to the family of an employee at the Post
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
and Telegraph Department, a Belarusian
Belarusians
Belarusians ; are an East Slavic ethnic group who populate the majority of the Republic of Belarus. Introduced to the world as a new state in the early 1990s, the Republic of Belarus brought with it the notion of a re-emerging Belarusian ethnicity, drawn upon the lines of the Old Belarusian...
in origin. In 1918 Kit’s family moved to Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
, to their native village of Aharodniki (now merged with the town of Karelichy, Hrodna Voblast
Hrodna Voblast
Hrodna Voblast or Grodno Oblast is a voblast in northwestern Belarus.The capital - Grodno is the biggest city of the province. It lies on the Neman River. Grodno's existence is attested to from 1127. Two castles dating from the 14th - 18th centuries are located here on the steep right bank of...
).
After graduation from Navahrudak Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian Lyceum in 1928 Kit entered the physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
faculty of Vilnius University
Vilnius University
Vilnius University is the oldest university in the Baltic states and one of the oldest in Eastern Europe. It is also the largest university in Lithuania....
. After graduation in 1933 he worked as a teacher at Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
Belarusian Lyceum. In 1939 he was appointed its Principal. After the Vilnius Region
Vilnius region
Vilnius Region , refers to the territory in the present day Lithuania, that was originally inhabited by ethnic Baltic tribes and was a part of Lithuania proper, but came under East Slavic and Polish cultural influences over time,...
had been annexed to Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
in 1939, Kit returned to his native region. He was the Principal of Navahrudak Belarusian High School there and later a superintendent of a large school system district. Hundreds of elementary schools and several dozen high schools were opened in the region within a year due to Kit's direct participation.
During the Nazi Occupation of Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
(1941–1944) Kit worked as a teacher in the village of Lebedzeva near Maladzyechna
Maladzyechna
Maladzyechna , is a city in the Minsk Voblast of Belarus, an administrative centre of the Maladzyechna district . It has 98,514 inhabitants and is located 72 km northwest of Minsk. Located on the Usha River, it has been a settlement since 1388 when it was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania...
and later as a director of the Pastavy
Pastavy
Pastavy is a city in the Vitsebsk Voblast of Belarus, an administrative center of the Pastavy district. In 2009, Pastavy celebrated its 600th anniversary.-External links:* *...
Teachers College. He was suspected of having partisan
Belarusian partisans
Belarusian partisans were fighters in irregular military groups participating in the Belarusian resistance movement, including against Nazi Germany and collaborationism during World War II.- World War II :...
connections and was arrested by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
SD
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
punitive bodies. He spent a month in prison and was saved from execution by his former pupils.
In 1944 Kit and his family moved to Germany, first to Offenbach-Lindau in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, then to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. In 1948 Kit emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1950 he settled in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and worked there as a chemist in various companies.
In the mid-1950s Kit began his scientific activities in the field of astronautics
Astronautics
Astronautics, and related astronautical engineering, is the theory and practice of navigation beyond the Earth's atmosphere. In other words, it is the science and technology of space flight....
. For 25 years he worked in the American space
Space
Space is the boundless, three-dimensional extent in which objects and events occur and have relative position and direction. Physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless four-dimensional continuum...
research program. As a mathematician and systems analyst, he took part in projects aimed at the development of intercontinental missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
systems. Kit took part in all the American space research
Space research
Space research is scientific studies carried out using scientific equipment in outer space. It includes the use of space technology for a broad spectrum of research disciplines, including Earth science, materials science, biology, medicine, and physics...
projects, including mathematical support of the mission to the Moon
Moon landing
A moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on 13 September 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned...
.
In 1972 Kit moved to Frankfurt-am-Main in Germany, where he lives as of 2010.
Scientific achievements
Kit is the author of the first manual on rocket propellantRocket propellant
Rocket propellant is mass that is stored in some form of propellant tank, prior to being used as the propulsive mass that is ejected from a rocket engine in the form of a fluid jet to produce thrust. A fuel propellant is often burned with an oxidizer propellant to produce large volumes of very hot...
"Rocket Propellant Handbook", published by McMillan in 1960. The book received many positive reviews and is referenced in rocket science publications even today.
In 1982 Kit earned a Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and science history from the University of Regensberg
Regensberg
Regensberg is a municipality in the district of Dielsdorf in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. It is located just to the west of Dielsdorf, on a ridge of the Lägern .-History:...
.
Kit is a long-standing member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of two earlier societies: the American Rocket Society , founded in 1930 as the American Interplanetary Society , and the Institute...
, an honorary member of the Hermann Oberth
Hermann Oberth
Hermann Julius Oberth was an Austro-Hungarian-born German physicist and engineer. He is considered one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics.- Early life :...
German Astronautics Society Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
, a member of the International Astronautics Academy in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Vice-President of the Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
n International Astronautics Academy, Professor Emeritus of Maryland University, Honorary Doctorate of Science of Hrodna State University
Hrodna State University
Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno а higher education institution, located in Grodno. It is the largest regional higher education institution in the Republic of Belarus, university complex integrating all levels of education....
, and Navahrudak's honorable resident.
A "time capsule
Time capsule
A time capsule is an historic cache of goods or information, usually intended as a method of communication with future people and to help future archaeologists, anthropologists, or historians...
" with Kit's name was immured in the wall of Capitol
United States Capitol
The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Kit has always remained a conscious Belarusian: “Everything I did in my life —- I did for my homeland and its fame”.
External links
- Barys Kit 100 years anniversary an interview with Barys Kit (in Belarusian)
- A lesson from Barys Kit another interview by young Belarusians (in Belarusian)