Science Fiction Legend Sir Arthur C. Clarke Dies At 90

As early as 1945, 12 years before the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, Clarke began pushing the idea of using geostationary satellites in telecommunications, and in some circles the band of space that these satellites travel today is referred to as the Clarke Orbit or Clarke Belt.

At Comdex Fall 2001 in Las Vegas, Clarke took part in a two-way satellite interview from his home in Sri Lanka with former EDS chairman and CEO Dick Brown, discussing the evolution of humans and machines and their impact on the IT industry.

Born in 1917 in Minehead, Somerset, England, Clarke developed a fascination with astronomy at an early age, and served as a radar technician in the Royal Air Force during World War II. In 1998, Clarke was made a knight by Queen Elizabeth II of England

Clarke, the prolific author of more than 100 novels, screenplays, and short stories, is best known for "2001: A Space Odyssey," his 1968 novel that became one of the most influential science fiction films ever to hit the silver screen, and was directed by Stanley Kubrick.

Clarke's other well known works include: "Childhood's End" (1953); "Rendezvous With Rama" (1973); and "The Fountains of Paradise" (1979).