Where would we be without Science Fiction

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by jswinden

I have NOT studied the complete history of Arthur C. Clark, but I seriously doubt he engineered the ability to launch into orbit, maintain orbit, and synchronize a set of satellites at 30,000+ km above the earth. that would take a large operation of many engineers and scientists. It is very different to say one day we will be able to have geosynch satellites and describe the general concept, and quite another to actually make that happen. Today the courts are filled with patent infringement suits brought by people who 30 years ago drew out a concept in crayon that they thought might someday be possible. Those idiots had no clue about how to make that concept work. But because they dreamed about it and the US Patent Office was stupid enough to issue a patent on a dream, they often get large settlements. The guy who dreamed up the flying astro-car in a briefcase that George Jetson flew on his work commute was just dreaming. No one has ever built one yet, even half of a century later. But if they did build one would the credit for the invention of same go to the cartoonist or the actual inventor? IMO the credit should go to the actual inventor.

GeeCrow said the concept not the actual development. Big difference. It is entirely feasible that the future scientists read Arthur C Clarke and figured out a way to build on his concept.
Scientists have been reading science fiction since the genre first started. And the scientists in interviews usually give a nod to whichever writer influenced them.
Do not disregard science fiction. Might I recommend you read Jules Verne's In the Year 2889. Many of those ideas have come to pass.

Now as to the folding car, well a futuristic cartoon is not science fiction and it seems the biggest obstacle there would be the engine. But since they have now made a working engine from a 3D printer, it may only be a matter of time before we have box cars.
Though that one leads to the question, will people leave their cars unattended like they do their purses in stores?

[dwig]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

GeeCrow said the concept not the actual development. Big difference. It is entirely feasible that the future scientists read Arthur C Clarke and figured out a way to build on his concept. ...

Exactly.

Clark was not the first to recognize the properties of a geosynchronous orbit. He did introduce the idea of placing a communications satellite in such an orbit and wrote a paper discussing this and its impact on global communications for which he was awarded the Franklin Institute's Stuart Ballantine Medal in the late 1940s. He included this concept in his popular science non-fiction book Exploration of Space (1951), which was my childhood introduction to space flight and orbital mechanics.

Clark has a strong science background. During WWII, while serving in the Royal Air Force, he worked on the British early warning defense RADAR and then on development their ground-controlled approach RADAR system, which he wrote about in his book Glide Path.

[cromag]

While Clarke didn't do any of the engineering work behind geostationary communications satellites, and was probably not the first person to wonder about them, his 1945 paper did lay the groundwork for some some serious planning.

http://lakdiva.org/clarke/1945ww/