Author
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Topic: Arthur C. Clarke at 100: Centenary of his birth
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Gilbert Member Posts: 1328 From: Carrollton, GA USA Registered: Jan 2003
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posted 12-16-2017 08:28 PM
Happy 100th birthday to the late Sir Arthur C. Clarke. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 12-16-2017 08:59 PM
From Science Magazine: Arthur C. Clarke is best remembered as Stanley Kubrick's partner in the creation of "2001: A Space Odyssey," a cinematic landmark in visual and technocultural storytelling. However, his most enduring legacy lives in his six-decade career as a science fiction and popular science writer. The centenary of his birth on 16 December is a good time to reflect on this great writer and his impact on modern culture..."The Exploration of Space" is not the first English-language work of its kind: David Lasser's "The Conquest of Space" (1931) holds that honor. Clarke's book, however, is arguably a more mature expression of Lasser's early space-flight dreams. It sits at the end of two additional decades of research, speculation, and advocacy by the international community of rocket pioneers and interplanetary enthusiasts Clarke considered his core audience. His active participation in that movement as a member of the British Interplanetary Society gives "The Exploration of Space" the discursive authority and technical depth necessary for a project seeking a wider public. Clarke's aim in this book is to both inform and inspire, to teach the science and technology of space travel and its utility in reaching other worlds. The result is a classic of romantic science writing, the nonfiction genre that made outer-space culture a part of everyday life in the 1950s and 1960s. |
DG27 Member Posts: 173 From: USA Registered: Nov 2010
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posted 12-16-2017 09:20 PM
Yes, Happy Birthday to Sir Clarke. His legacy has influenced everyone as he was the inventor of the geosynchronous communication satellite, whose orbit is also refered to as a Clarke Orbit.I had the priveledge of meeting him years ago at the 1992 celebration of his birthday in Minehead, UK. There is a certain feeling you get when you are in the presence of a genius. A brilliant man. |
Jonnyed Member Posts: 396 From: Dumfries, VA, USA Registered: Aug 2014
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posted 12-19-2017 07:52 PM
Did Clarke ever get to visit the Cape or any of the other NASA facilities? it would be interesting to know his reaction... |
dom Member Posts: 855 From: Registered: Aug 2001
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posted 01-06-2018 01:59 PM
Can't remember where I read it but I think he watched Apollo 8 launch from the Cape. He was a panellist on CBS's Apollo 11 coverage but I think he was based in New York for that mission? |