Mstislav Vsevolodovich
Keldysh
1911-1978
Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh was a Soviet scientist, the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1961-1975), Three Times Hero of Socialist Labor. After graduation, he received a referral to Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, where he worked in engineering positions for fourteen years. Continuing to work at TsAGI, M.V. Keldysh in the autumn of 1934 entered the postgraduate course of the Steklov Mathematical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences to M.A. Lavrentiev, where he dealt with the theory of approximations of functions closely related to the applied topics of his work – hydro, aerodynamics. In 1935, the scientist without protection was awarded the degree of candidate of physical and mathematical sciences, and in 1937 – the degree of candidate of technical sciences and the title of professor in the specialty “aerodynamics”. M.V. Keldysh defended his dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Physico-Mathematical Sciences on the topic “On the representation of functions of complex variables and harmonic functions by series of polynomials” on January 26, 1938. In the process of scientific work, M.V. Keldysh developed a mathematical theory of “flutter”, which made it possible to determine exactly at what speed the aircraft is threatened by flutter, and then propose measures to exclude this phenomenon. Soviet aviation received reliable protection from vibrations, and during the Great Patriotic War there were practically no cases of aircraft destruction due to flutter. M.V. Keldysh was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1942 for his scientific work on preventing the destruction of aircraft. Also, M.V. Keldysh managed to solve the problem created by the “shimmy effect”, which arose due to a change in the design of the landing gear caused by an increase in the size and speed of aircraft. The appearance of the shimmy effect often ended in an accident of airplanes. M.V. Keldysh found an equation that allowed designers to completely eliminate wheel vibrations. In June 1944, he took the position of the Head of the Mechanics Department at the Mathematical Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Since 1953, he headed the Institute of Applied Mathematics of the USSR Academy of Sciences – IPM RAS. He took a direct part in the work on the creation of the Soviet thermonuclear bomb, for which he organized a special settlement bureau at the MIAN. For his participation in the creation of thermonuclear weapons, M.V. Keldysh was awarded the title of the Hero of Socialist Labor in 1956. He was a member of the Council of Chief Designers, headed by Korolev. He was one of the founders of the deployment of space exploration and the creation of rocket and space systems.
Address: Moscow, Miusskaya pl., 4, bldg. V
