http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/ ... Clarke.php
Don't know how many people know that he was credited with coming up with the concept of putting satellites in geosynchronous orbits. His stories reflect a vision and hope for the future that are little more tempered than Sagan's rosey philosophical perspective, but that are still a brighter than Asimov's and more believable than Heinlein's. "Rendezvous with Rama" is one of my all-time favorites (not to mention the fact that the "Lost in Space" movie borrowed heavily from the story), and "2001: A Space Odyssey" changed everything about how people perceived what it is really like in space. Funny, it is still one of the most authentic when it comes to the fact that there's no sound in space, how shuttles truly move in space (in arcs), and how a space station should really look!
Wish I'd had a chance to meet him...
R.I.P. sir - you've earned it.
