2001: A Space Odyssey

Clarke (December 16, 1917-March 19, 2008) was an English science fiction and popular science writer. His work was informed by a lifelong fascination with space travel. He enjoyed a large readership and won several Hugo and Nebula awards, as well as serving as the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society (1946-1947, and 1951-1953). He wrote about geostationary communications satellites in a letter to the editor of Wireless World (February 1945), and then again in a longer piece titled “Extra-Terrestrial Relays—Can Rocket Stations Give Worldwide Radio Coverage?” in October 1945. As a result, geostationary orbit is sometimes referred to as the Clarke Belt or the Clarke Orbit. Communication from and in space is a major theme in 2001: A Space Odyssey; what sparks the Discovery’s voyage to Saturn is the loss of communication with Earth caused by the misalignment of an antenna.

Clarke was interested in scuba diving and undersea exploration. He emigrated to Sri Lanka in 1956 to pursue this passion. In his first year in the country, he discovered the underwater ruins of the Koneswaram Temple in Trincomalee. This adventurousness may inform the exploratory spirit that pervades 2001.