ASA MUSEUM

2008 : TRIBUTE TO ARTHUR C CLARKE

• Arthur C Clarke died on 19 March 2008 in Colombo, Sri Lanka after 90 very productive years. Clarke was a scientist, underwater explorer, visionary, writer and one of the very few grand masters of science fiction. In his novels he would never compromise with scientific accuracy while at the same time he was never hampered by current engineering and technology limitations. Although most widely known for his science fiction writing, including his short story "The Sentinel" which later became the basis of the movie "2001", he also wrote non-fiction space works.

  In 1945 the journal Wireless World accepted and published a paper by Clarke entitled "Extraterrestrial Relays". This discussed the concept of the geosynchronous orbit which first came into use over 15 years later. Clarke's many science fiction novels are widely known. His non-fictional works are not so well known but included "Interplanetary Flight (1950)", "The Exploration of Space (1951)", and "The Making of a Moon (1957). Interplanetary Flight included many equations and graphs detailing the requirements and opportunities of spaceflight. His novel "Glide Path (1969)" was based on his World War II experiences in the development of Precision Approach Radar.

  Born at Minehead in Somerset, England on the 16th of December 1917, Arthur Charles Clarke played a large role in the early years of the British Interplanetary Society. He moved to Colombo, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in 1956 after studying the Australian Great Barrier Reef. He wrote several stories about the space under the sea. He made his home in Colombo, although he never lost his distinctive Yorkshire accent. He will be missed by many.

2007 : 50 YEAR SPACE ANNIVERSARY

• On the 4th of October 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik-1 signalling the start of the 'Space Age'. Although man had been observing and researching the space environment for long before this, the launch of the first artificial satellite into low-Earth orbit did indeed signal the commencement of a new era of activity and the start of many different endeavours related to a physical presence in a new realm.
  • Sputnik-1
  • 50th session of the United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS)
  • 40th anniversary of the United Nations Outer Space Treaty