Keldysh was born in 1911 in Riga.
When he was four the family evacuated to Moscow during the First World War.
In the first years of the Soviet Union he was refused entrance to an Institute of Civil Engineers because of his attachment to a noble family.
Later, he managed to enter and graduate from the Physics and Mathematics department of the Moscow State University.
 He obtained employment at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) under Mikhail Lavrentyev and Sergey Chaplygin.

Working in TsAGI he explained the auto-oscillation effects of flutter (in-flight auto-induced oscillations and structural deformations), and shimmy (auto-oscillation in the nose-wheel of aircraft undercarriages while on the ground).
The effects were responsible for many aircraft catastrophes at the time.

In 1937 Keldysh became Doctor of Science with his dissertation entitled Complex Variable and Harmonic Functions Representation by Polynomial Series, and was appointed a Professor of Moscow State University.
 In 1943 he became a Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
 He got his first Stalin Prize in 1946 for his works on aircraft auto-oscillations.
 In 1943 he also became a full member of the Academy and the Director of NII-1 (Research Institute number 1) of the Department of the Aviation Industry.
He also headed the Department of Applied Mechanics of the Steklov Institute of Mathematics.
In 1966 the department was named after him to become the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics.

During the 1940s Keldysh became the leader of a group of applied mathematicians involved in almost all large scientific projects of the Soviet Union.
Keldysh created the Calculation Bureau that carried most of the mathematical problems related to the development of nuclear weapons.
The bureau is also credited with design of the first Soviet computers.
In 1947 he became a member of Communist Party.

Keldysh's main efforts were devoted to jet propulsion and  rockets including supersonic gas dynamics, heat and mass exchange, and heat shielding.
1959 saw successful testing of the Soviet first cruise missile Burya, which displayed better performance than the Navajo missile being designed in USA at the time.

In 1954 Keldysh, Sergey Korolyov and Mikhail Tikhonravov submitted a letter to the Soviet Government proposing development of an artificial satellite to orbit the Earth.
The letter was rejected, and the group filed exaggerated Soviet newspaper articles which influenced American authorities to start satellite programs.
This in turn began the effort that culminated in the world's first satellite, Sputnik in October 1957, which marked the beginning of mankind's Space Age.
In 1955 Keldysh was appointed chairman of the Satellite Committee at the Academy of Science.
In recognition of his contribution to the problems of defense Keldysh was awarded the Hero of Socialist Labor (1956) and the Lenin Prize (1957).
In 1961 he received a second Него of Socialist Labor medal for his contribution to Yuri Gagarin's flight into space, the first person to orbit the Earth.

In 1961 Keldysh was elected President of the Academy of Sciences and kept this position for 14 years.
Concomitantly he became a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
His last scientific works were devoted to creation of the Shuttle Buran.
In 1962 he was elected a member of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.

Keldysh was 67 when he died.
He was honoured with a state funeral and his ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis on Red Square.
Keldysh was born in 1911 in Riga. When he was four the family evacuated to Moscow during the First World War. In the first years of the Soviet Union he was refused entrance to an Institute of Civil Engineers because of his attachment to a noble family. Later, he managed to enter and graduate from the Physics and Mathematics department of the Moscow State University.  He obtained employment at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI) under Mikhail Lavrentyev and Sergey Chaplygin.
Working in TsAGI he explained the auto-oscillation effects of flutter (in-flight auto-induced oscillations and structural deformations), and shimmy (auto-oscillation in the nose-wheel of aircraft undercarriages while on the ground). The effects were responsible for many aircraft catastrophes at the time.
In 1937 Keldysh became Doctor of Science with his dissertation entitled Complex Variable and Harmonic Functions Representation by Polynomial Series, and was appointed a Professor of Moscow State University.  In 1943 he became a Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences.  He got his first Stalin Prize in 1946 for his works on aircraft auto-oscillations.  In 1943 he also became a full member of the Academy and the Director of NII-1 (Research Institute number 1) of the Department of the Aviation Industry. He also headed the Department of Applied Mechanics of the Steklov Institute of Mathematics. In 1966 the department was named after him to become the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics.
During the 1940s Keldysh became the leader of a group of applied mathematicians involved in almost all large scientific projects of the Soviet Union. Keldysh created the Calculation Bureau that carried most of the mathematical problems related to the development of nuclear weapons. The bureau is also credited with design of the first Soviet computers. In 1947 he became a member of Communist Party.
Keldysh's main efforts were devoted to jet propulsion and  rockets including supersonic gas dynamics, heat and mass exchange, and heat shielding. 1959 saw successful testing of the Soviet first cruise missile Burya, which displayed better performance than the Navajo missile being designed in USA at the time.
In 1954 Keldysh, Sergey Korolyov and Mikhail Tikhonravov submitted a letter to the Soviet Government proposing development of an artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. The letter was rejected, and the group filed exaggerated Soviet newspaper articles which influenced American authorities to start satellite programs. This in turn began the effort that culminated in the world's first satellite, Sputnik in October 1957, which marked the beginning of mankind's Space Age. In 1955 Keldysh was appointed chairman of the Satellite Committee at the Academy of Science. In recognition of his contribution to the problems of defense Keldysh was awarded the Hero of Socialist Labor (1956) and the Lenin Prize (1957). In 1961 he received a second Него of Socialist Labor medal for his contribution to Yuri Gagarin's flight into space, the first person to orbit the Earth.
In 1961 Keldysh was elected President of the Academy of Sciences and kept this position for 14 years. Concomitantly he became a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. His last scientific works were devoted to creation of the Shuttle Buran. In 1962 he was elected a member of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union.
Keldysh was 67 when he died. He was honoured with a state funeral and his ashes were buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis on Red Square.
Mstislav Keldysh