Mstislav Keldysh

The Soviet scientist in the field of mathematics, mechanics, space science and technology, Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, was born on February 10, 1911 in Riga (Latvia) in the family of associate professor of the Riga Polytechnic Institute, a major civil engineer (later an academician of architecture) Vsevolod Mikhailovich Keldysh (1878-1965).

In 1915, when German troops approached Riga, the family was evacuated to Moscow. In 1919-1923 Mstislav Keldysh lived in Ivanovo, where his father taught at the Polytechnic Institute. In 1923, when the Keldysh family returned to Moscow, Mstislav began studying at a school with a construction bias, in the summer he went with his father to construction sites and worked as a laborer. Keldysh showed a taste for mathematics in grades 7-8, the teachers already noted his outstanding ability in the exact sciences.

In 1927, after graduating from school, he wanted to become a builder, like his father, but the engineering and construction institute it was not accepted at his age (he was only 16 years old). That same year Mstislav Keldysh entered the physics and mathematics department of the Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU). In the spring of 1930 he began working as an assistant at the Electromechanical Engineering Institute and then at the Stankoinstrumental Institute.

In 1931, Keldysh graduated from Moscow State University and was sent to the Central Aero-Hydrodynamic Institute named after N.E. Zhukovsky (TsAGI), where he worked until 1946, first as an engineer, then - as a senior engineer, head of the group, and since 1941 - as head of the department of dynamic strength. Since 1932, he lectured at Moscow State University.

At TsAGI, Mstislav Keldysh carried out a number of studies on aerohydrodynamics. He obtained results in the problems of unsteady wing motions, the rigorous justification of the vortex theory of the Zhukovsky propeller, the theory of bodies hitting a liquid, the theory of bodies moving under the liquid surface, and the theory of flow of bodies around a compressible fluid.

Continuing to work at TsAGI, Keldysh went to graduate school (later supplemented by a two-year doctoral program) at the Mathematical Institute named after V. A. Steklov of the USSR Academy of Sciences in the fall of 1934, where he studied the theory of functions of real and complex variables, partial derivative equations, and functional analysis.

In 1935 he was awarded the degree of candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, and in 1937, the degree of candidate of engineering sciences and the title of professor with a specialization in "aerodynamics".

January 26, 1938 Keldysh defended his thesis for the degree of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences "On the representation of polynomials of functions of complex variable and harmonic functions".

In 1938, the Technical Council of TsAGI was established, and Mstislav Keldysh was included in it; then he became a member of the Scientific Council of TsAGI.

During the Great Patriotic War, he worked at aircraft factories and, as head of the TsAGI Dynamic Strength Department, supervised the problem of vibrations in aircraft construction.

From 1942 to 1953, Mstislav Keldysh was a professor at Moscow State University. At the Faculty of Physics and Technology of Moscow State University, he chaired the Department of Thermodynamics and led the course in mathematical physics, and at the Mechanical and Mathematical Department, he lectured and led the research seminar on the theory of functions of the complex variable.

On September 29, 1943, Keldysh was elected a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences for the Department of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

In 1944-1953 he was head of the department of mechanics at the Steklov Mathematical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1945-1947 and in 1949-1952 he was deputy director of the institute.

At the end of 1946, Keldysh was elected a full member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in the Department of Technical Sciences.

In 1946 he was appointed head of the Reaction Research Institute (NII-1, now the M.V. Keldysh Research Center (RC)) that dealt with applied problems of rocket engineering. From August 1950 to 1961, Keldysh was the scientific director of NII-1. The main direction of his activity was related to rocket engineering.

In postwar years, Keldysh was engaged in solving nuclear energy problems. He created and headed the calculation bureau on this subject.

In 1953, he became the founder of the Institute (until 1966, the Department) of Applied Mathematics (IPM) of the USSR Academy of Sciences and its permanent director until 1978. The activity of the Institute is connected with the development of computational mathematics in the country.

In 1954, Mstislav Keldysh, Sergey Korolev, and Mikhail Tikhonravov submitted a letter to the government with a proposal to create an artificial Earth satellite (ESS). On January 30, 1956, Keldysh was appointed chairman of a special commission of the Academy of Sciences on an artificial earth satellite.

The scientist played a crucial role in developing a launch vehicle for placing into orbit satellites under scientific programs (satellites of "Cosmos" family). He led the "lunar" program, including the flights of automated stations of the "Luna" family. He also participated in Venus research program connected with automatic stations of "Venus" family.

In 1960 he was appointed chairman of the established Interdepartmental Scientific and Technical Council for Space Research under the USSR Academy of Sciences.

From 1961 to 1975 Mstislav Keldysh was president of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. As head of the USSR Academy of Sciences, he fully supported the development of mathematics and mechanics in the country, as well as new areas of science, such as cybernetics, quantum electronics, molecular biology and genetics.

Since 1961 he headed the Committee for Lenin and State Prizes of the USSR in Science and Technology.

Mstislav Keldysh was a member of various commissions on space problems, in particular he was chairman of the emergency commission to investigate the causes of the death of the crew of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft.

He made a great contribution to implementation of the joint Soviet-American space flight Soyuz-Appolon (1975) and development of flights under Intercosmos program.

He was one of the initiators of creation in 1951 of the Moscow Physics and Technology Institute (in Dolgoprudny, Moscow region) where he lectured, was the head of the department.

In the last years of his life, Keldysh was interested in the problem of creating solar power plants in space orbit.

Services of academician Mstislav Keldysh are highly appreciated. He was three times Hero of Socialist Labor (1956, 1961, 1971), winner of the Lenin (1957) and State (1942, 1946) prizes, was awarded seven orders of Lenin (1945, twice 1954, 1956, 1961, 1967, 1975), three orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1943, 1945, 1953), medals as well as orders and medals of foreign countries.

Mstislav Keldysh was elected a foreign member of 16 academies of the world, honorary doctor of six universities.

Mstislav Keldysh died on June 24, 1978. The urn with his ashes is buried in the Kremlin Wall on Red Square in Moscow.

Mstislav Keldysh has monuments in Moscow and Riga, memorial plaques on the buildings where he lived (Vorobyevskoe highway) and worked (Moscow State University and the Institute of Applied Mechanics). The scientist is commemorated by names of institutes (IPM and IC), a research vessel, a square in Moscow, a crater on the Moon, and a small planet in the solar system.

The Keldysh Gold Medal is awarded by the Russian Academy of Sciences for outstanding scientific work in applied mathematics and mechanics, as well as theoretical research on space exploration.