Krasovskii, Feodosii Nikolaevich

Born Sept. 14 (26), 1878, in Galich, present-day Kostroma Oblast; died Oct. 1, 1948, in Moscow. Soviet astronomer and geodesist. Corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1939). Honored Worker in Science and Technology of the RSFSR (1943).

Krasovskii graduated from the Surveying Institute in Moscow in 1900; in 1907 he became a teacher there and in 1912 was made head of a subdepartment. In late 1928, at his initiative, the Central Scientific Research Institute of Geodesy, Aerial Photography, and Cartography was established, and Krasovskii became its director (1928–30) and later the deputy director in charge of scientific matters (1930–37). From 1924 to 1930 he directed astronomical-geodetic and cartographic projects in the USSR. Krasovskii worked out scientific-theoretical and program-methods problems of constructing astronomical-geodetic and leveling grids of the USSR, organizing topographical surveying and gravimetric work, and so on. He carried out studies to determine the dimensions of the earth ellipsoid (see ). He outlined ways to work out the scientific problems of geodesy and gravimetry in their close relationship to the problems of geophysics and geology. He received the State Prize of the USSR in 1943 and in 1952 (posthumously). Krasovskii was awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and various medals.