What role did Arthur C. Clarke serve during World War II?

Arthur C. Clarke entered the Royal Air Force as a radar specialist in 1941 to work on early-warning radar defence systems used by the RAF.

Where did Arthur C. Clarke live after emigrating from Britain?

Arthur C. Clarke emigrated to Ceylon which is now known as Sri Lanka in 1956 to pursue scuba diving interests more seriously.

Who collaborated with Arthur C. Clarke on the film 2001: A Space Odyssey?

Stanley Kubrick met Arthur C. Clarke in New York City during 1964 to collaborate on the screenplay for 2001: A Space Odyssey.

When and how did Arthur C. Clarke die?

Arthur C. Clarke died in Colombo on the 19th of March 2008 at age 90 due to respiratory complications and heart failure stemming from post-polio syndrome.

Arthur C. Clarke: the story on HearLore

Q: How did Arthur C. Clarke contribute to satellite technology?

Arthur C. Clarke proposed that geostationary satellites would serve as ideal telecommunications relays in a paper published in Wireless World in October 1945.

Arthur Charles Clarke was born on the 16th of December 1917 in Minehead, Somerset. He grew up nearby at Bishops Lydeard where he lived on a farm. His childhood involved stargazing and collecting fossils from the local countryside. Dinosaur cigarette cards sparked his interest in paleontology around 1925. This early fascination with deep time set the stage for his future career. He read American science fiction pulp magazines during these formative years. The November 1928 issue of Amazing Stories arrived in 1929 to change his trajectory. Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men followed in 1930 as another key influence. David Lasser's The Conquest of Space appeared in 1931 to complete this trifecta of inspiration. These three books convinced him that science fiction could be serious literature. He joined the Junior Astronomical Association while still a teenager. Marion Eadie edited Urania, the society's journal based in Glasgow. She added an Astronautics section specifically because Clarke requested it. He wrote articles about spacecraft and space travel for that column. He also contributed to Debates and Discussions Corner offering counterpoints to pro-space arguments. Walt Disney's Fantasia inspired one of his recollections published in the same magazine. He moved to London in 1936 to work as a pensions auditor for the Board of Education. A flat shared with fellow writers on Gray's Inn Road earned him the nickname Ego. His office filled with memorabilia later became known as his ego chamber.

World War II began in 1939 but Clarke did not serve until 1941. He entered the Royal Air Force as a radar specialist during the conflict. His work involved the early-warning radar defence system used by the RAF. This technology contributed significantly to their success during the Battle of Britain. Most of his wartime service focused on ground-controlled approach radar systems. These systems were documented in his semiautobiographical novel Glide Path. Although GCA saw little practical use during the war itself it proved vital later. It supported the Berlin Airlift of 1948, 1949 after several years of development. Clarke initially served in the ranks as a corporal instructor at No.2 Radio School. That school was located at RAF Yatesbury in Wiltshire. He received his commission as a pilot officer on the technical branch on the 27th of May 1943. Promotion to flying officer came on the 27th of November 1943. He eventually became chief training instructor at RAF Honiley in Warwickshire. He left the service with the rank of flight lieutenant upon demobilisation. This period provided him with deep technical knowledge about radio waves and signal processing. The experience shaped his understanding of communication technologies for decades to come.

Clarke did not originate the concept of geostationary satellites but he advanced its application. He proposed that these orbits would serve as ideal telecommunications relays. This idea appeared in a paper privately circulated among British Interplanetary Society members in 1945. Wireless World published the concept in October of that same year. The article titled Extra-Terrestrial Relays Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage? outlined the theory. Three satellites positioned above the equator could provide global coverage. Hermann Oberth described geostationary satellites in a 1923 book before Clarke wrote his paper. Herman Potočnik discussed radio communication via satellites in a 1928 publication. Clarke acknowledged these earlier concepts in Profiles of the Future. John R. Pierce of Bell Labs gave a talk on the subject in 1954 without knowing Clarke's work. The International Astronomical Union officially recognizes the orbit as the Clarke Orbit today. He won the Stuart Ballantine Medal from the Franklin Institute in 1963 for this contribution. Wernher von Braun used Clarke's 1951 book The Exploration of Space to convince President Kennedy about moon travel. Clarke never patented the satellite idea because patents were licenses to be sued.

Clarke emigrated to Ceylon which is now known as Sri Lanka in 1956. His goal was to pursue scuba diving interests more seriously. He lived first in Unawatuna on the south coast and later moved to Colombo. Mike Wilson served as his friend and business partner throughout these years. They dived together with the Beachcombers Club around the island's coral waters. A dive trip off Trincomalee in 1957 led to a major discovery. They found underwater ruins of the ancient Koneswaram Temple. Carved columns with flower insignia lay scattered across the shallow seabed. Elephant-headed stones and Chola bronzes emerged from the depths. Clarke described these finds in his 1957 book The Reefs of Taprobane. This was his second diving book following The Coast of Coral published in 1956. He established a small dive school near Trincomalee to share his passion. Divers often visited Hikkaduwa, Trincomalee, and Nilaveli under his guidance. The Sri Lankan government granted him resident guest status in 1975. When Robert Heinlein visited the country the Air Force provided a helicopter for their tour. The dive shop continues to operate today through the Arthur C Clarke Foundation.

Stanley Kubrick met Clarke in New York City during 1964 to discuss film collaboration. They decided to base the story loosely on Clarke's short story The Sentinel written in 1948. That story had been rejected by a BBC competition but changed his career trajectory. Kubrick suggested writing a novel before starting the actual screenplay. Their imaginations soared free as they developed the project together. Novel and screenplay were written simultaneously with feedback flowing both ways. The film released in spring 1968 while the book appeared months later. Clarke complained that this made the book seem like a mere novelisation. He rewrote sections after seeing movie rushes which he called an expensive method of literary creation. James Randi recalled Clarke leaving the premiere at intermission in tears. An eleven-minute scene showing an astronaut jogging inside the spaceship did not make general release. Kubrick intended to show how boring space travel could be. The Lost Worlds of 2001 published in 1972 included accounts of production and alternative scenes. A special edition released in 1999 contained an introduction documenting these events. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing Story and Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Heinlein formed the informal Big Three group during the late twentieth century. They began corresponding after The Exploration of Space was published in 1951. Clarke and Heinlein first met in person the following year on cordial terms. They remained friendly despite visiting each other's countries over many years. Their meeting in New York City occurred in 1953 with Asimov. They traded friendly insults and gibes throughout their decades-long relationship. An oral agreement known as the Clarke, Asimov Treaty governed their public statements. When asked who was better they would say Clarke wrote fiction while Asimov wrote science. Clarke put this treaty on paper in his dedication to Report on Planet Three in 1972. Heinlein attacked Clarke's views on foreign policy at Larry Niven's home in California in 1984. He advocated strongly for a defence posture against Clarke's opposition to SDI. The two reconciled formally but remained distant until Heinlein died in 1988. Clarke won more than a dozen annual literary awards for particular works of science fiction. Readers voted him the all-time second best author in 1988, 1989 by Interzone magazine.

Clarke predicted global satellite TV broadcasts crossing national boundaries indiscriminately in 1959. He envisioned a personal transceiver small enough for every man to carry. Dialing a number could call anyone anywhere on Earth according to his vision. Such devices included means for global positioning so no one need ever be lost again. Profiles of the Future published in 1962 described inventions up to the year 2100. A global library existed for 2005 within that timetable. Online banking and online shopping became commonplace as he foresaw. Access to information and physical tasks like surgery could be accomplished remotely from anywhere. This happened using internet and satellite communication by the 21st century. He accurately predicted many things including online banking and theatre reservations. His 1974 interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation discussed computer changes for everyday people. He stated that future consoles would handle bank statements and daily life needs. The device would be taken for granted just like the telephone today. Clarke also proposed space elevations making rocket-based access obsolete. He believed these structures would eventually be equally important as geostationary satellites.

Clarke died in Colombo on the 19th of March 2008 at age 90. Respiratory complications and heart failure stemming from post-polio syndrome caused his death. He received a CBE in 1989 for services to British cultural interests in Sri Lanka. Knighthood came in 2000 but investiture was delayed due to tabloid accusations. The Sunday Mirror claimed he paid boys for sex which police found baseless. He chose not to sue for defamation after an apology appeared in the paper. A ceremony in Colombo invested him as Knight Bachelor since health prevented travel to London. Sri Lanka awarded its highest civilian honour Sri Lankabhimanya in 2005. His papers were donated to the American National Air and Space Museum in 2014. DNA samples launched on the Peregrine Mission One to the Moon in January 2024. That spacecraft disintegrated in Earth's atmosphere on the 19th of January 2024. A gamma-ray burst known as GRB 080319B reached Earth hours before his death. It set a new record as the farthest object visible with the naked eye. Larry Sessions suggested naming it the Clarke Event to honor his contributions.

Arthur C. Clarke.

Radar And The Battle Of Britain

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The Orbit That Bears His Name

Diving Into Sri Lankan Waters

The Kubrick Partnership

The Big Three Of Science Fiction

Predictions That Became Reality

Knighthood And Final Honors