Keldysh Mstislav Vsevolodovich, world famous mathematician and physicist of Russian origin, father of space flights, was born on February 10, 1911 in Riga. His father was a civil engineer During World war I Mstislav Keldysh and his family moved to Moscow. Mstislav graduated from Moscow State University in 1931 and later worked in TsAGI (Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute). In 1932 young scientist became a docent (assistant professor), and five years later – a professor after defending his Doctor of Science dissertation, which title was “Complex Variable and Harmonic Functions Representation by Polynomial Series”. Since 1936 Mstislav Keldysh was employed in the Soviet Academy of Sciences, and in 1946 he became a full member of the Academy.

His scientific research was dedicated mostly to hydro- and aerodynamics and mathematics. Mstislav Keldysh founded the Institute of Applied Mathematics and headed it in 1953. The scientist studied motion of bodies under surface of liquid, developed theories of fluid blast, air propeller and wing oscillation. The mathematician studied behaviour of aircraft constructions under certain conditions (flutter and shimmy effects, which was very important, because said effects were the main cause of the aircraft catastrophes at the time). Keldysh found general solution for Zhukovsky’s theorem of lifting capacity and obtained essential results in the complex variable theory.

 

 

Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh was a brilliant initiator of research in new fields of science and technology, such as computational mathematics, building mathematical models, systems and constructions. Keldysh was among inspirers of Soviet space exploration programme. In mid-fifties of XX century the scientist created think-tanks, which worked on putting space vehicles on near-Earth orbits and flying to the Moons and distant planets. Said work was done in close cooperation with Sergey Pavlovich Korolev and was a foundation for further success of Soviet space science. Results were incredible: launch of first Earth’s artificial satellite, first flights t the Moon, pictures of Moon’s far side and first man in space. Keldysh supervised such historical events as sending robots to the Moon, delivery of Moon’s soil samples to our planet, landing of moon rovers (Lunokhods), building orbital ships like “Salut”-“Soyuz”-“Progress” and exploration of Venus and Mars. Mstislav Keldysh paid close attention to making space and space vehicles available for national economy and encouraged international scientific cooperation in fields, related to space. His contribution to nuclear power engineering is enormous. Keldysh also wrote a book “Studies of Space” (together with M. Marov).

Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh was a member and honoured member of many foreign societies and academies of sciences. He was awarded “Hero of Socialist Labour” three times (in 1956, 1961 and 1971). In 1961 Mstislav Keldysh was elected Chairman of Soviet Academy of Sciences and held this position until 1975. Great mathematician died in 1978 in Moscow.

His name was immortalized in the research vessel “Akademic Keldysh”, an asteroid and a crater on the Moon, as well as in the name of the scientific Institute of Applied Mathematics.

Source: Astronet.ru

Kizilova Anna