In October 1945, Arthur C. Clarke published a short paper in Wireless World titled “Extra‑Terrestrial Relays – Can Rocket Stations Give World‑wide Radio Coverage?” that quietly invented the future of global communications.
Clarke showed how three satellites in geostationary orbit could relay radio and television signals across the entire planet, using line‑of‑sight links and tiny ground‑based antennas. At the time, rockets barely reached space—yet his math and vision were sound.
Today, hundreds of satellites in what’s called the “Clarke Orbit” keep us connected, broadcasting TV, phone, and internet to every corner of Earth. This is a perfect example of how a single mind, a clear idea, and a bit of imagination can redesign the future before the hardware even exists.
Clarke arrived in Colorado Springs on schedule, on June 25, 1952, for an extended visit. Ginny had thought, since food rationing was still so tight in Britain, that Clarke would appreciate some delicacies, but found that Clarke was not much interested in food.
Robert A. Heinlein and Robert talked incessantly, even as they went sightseeing, climbing Pike’s Peak on its funicular railway (Ginny stayed behind, as she had trouble breathing at that height), and, on another occasion, being lowered in a bucket into a Colorado gold mine. Clarke recalled the trip for his authorized biography:
“We spoke about everything under the sun,” recalls Clarke, “but especially the film Destination Moon … We both felt very strongly about the production … Bob and I were both crazy about it” …
It was, according to Clarke, a “wonderful visit,” that transformed a growing friendship into a close one. Clarke remembers Heinlein as “very protean. Heinlein was everything—like Walt Whitman.
Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century, Volume 2: The Man Who Learned Better (1948-1988) by William H. Patterson Jr.
(Arthur C. Clarke (right) visits Robert A. Heinlein (left) in his home in Colorado Springs. Roger Christenson found this photo in the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph dated June 27, 1952, Page 13. Thanks, Roger!)