After the war Clarke enrolled at King's College, graduating in 1948 with a bachelor of science degree.
Career
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
1968
Arthur C. Clarke during the filming of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
1984
Arthur C. Clarke
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
1984
Arthur C. Clarke meeting Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
2005
Sir Arthur C. Clarke at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
Sir Arthur C. Clarke and Dr Wernher Von Braun.
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke, relaxing on the beach at his villa in Hikkaduwa
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke last year at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke with his beloved Chihuahua Pepsi circa 2001
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick during the production of 2001: A Space Odyssey
Gallery of Arthur Clarke
Achievements
Membership
Awards
Marconi Prize
1982
Clarke receiving Marconi International Fellowship Award from Prince Claus of the Netherlands in 1982.
Stuart Ballantine Medal
Clarke won the 1963 Stuart Ballantine Medal from the Franklin Institute for the concept of satellite communications.
Hugo award
Clarke received three Hugo awards for his short story, "The Star" (1956); for his novel, Rendezvous with Rama (1974); for his novel, The Fountains of Paradise (1980)
Academy Award
Clarke shared a 1969 Academy Award nomination with Stanley Kubrick in the category Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Order of the British Empire
Clarke received a CBE in 1989, and was knighted in 2000. Clarke's health did not allow him to travel to London to receive the latter honour personally from the Queen, so the United Kingdom's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka invested him as a Knight Bachelor at a ceremony in Colombo.
Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award
In 1985 the Science Fiction Writers of America named him its 7th SFWA Grand Master.
Clarke received three Hugo awards for his short story, "The Star" (1956); for his novel, Rendezvous with Rama (1974); for his novel, The Fountains of Paradise (1980)
Clarke shared a 1969 Academy Award nomination with Stanley Kubrick in the category Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Clarke received a CBE in 1989, and was knighted in 2000. Clarke's health did not allow him to travel to London to receive the latter honour personally from the Queen, so the United Kingdom's High Commissioner to Sri Lanka invested him as a Knight Bachelor at a ceremony in Colombo.
(Living in the ten-billion-year-old city of Diaspar, Alvin...)
Living in the ten-billion-year-old city of Diaspar, Alvin is the last child born of humanity, and he is intensely curious about the outside world. But according to the oldest histories kept by the city fathers, there is no outside world—it was destroyed by the Invaders millions of years ago.
(The story was published in 1951, before humans had achiev...)
The story was published in 1951, before humans had achieved space flight. It is set principally on the planet Mars, which has been settled by humans and is used essentially as a research establishment. The story setting is that Mars has been surveyed but not fully explored on the ground.
(The world’s first lunar spacecraft is about to launch. Th...)
The world’s first lunar spacecraft is about to launch. The ship, Prometheus, is built from two components—one designed to travel through outer space to the Moon and back, and the other to carry the first component through Earth’s atmosphere and into orbit. Dirk Alexson, a historian assigned to documenting the project, travels from London to the desert base in Australia where Prometheus is to be launched. In a true example of life imitating art, Alexson describes what would become the foundation for the actual space shuttle program twenty years later.
(Roy Malcolm has always been fascinated by space travel. A...)
Roy Malcolm has always been fascinated by space travel. And when he wins a voyage to the Inner Space Station as a game show prize, he’s sure it’s the trip of a lifetime. Before long, Roy is taken in by the young crew—and shares their adventures and lives.
(Without warning, giant silver ships from deep space appea...)
Without warning, giant silver ships from deep space appear in the skies above every major city on Earth. Manned by the Overlords, in fifty years, they eliminate ignorance, disease, and poverty. Then this golden age ends--and then the age of Mankind begins....
(These stories present a brilliant showcase of Arthur C. C...)
These stories present a brilliant showcase of Arthur C. Clarke’s many-layered approach to the moral dilemmas of scientific advancement—from the thrilling and brutal "Breaking Strain" to the more poetic and thoughtful "Second Dawn." Also included is "The Sentinel"—the basis for the classic Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
(The time: 200 years after man's first landing on the Moon...)
The time: 200 years after man's first landing on the Moon. There are permanent populations established on the Moon, Venus and Mars. Outer space inhabitants have formed a new political entity, the Federation, and between the Federation and Earth a growing rivalry has developed.
(Clarke's masterful evocation of the far future of humanit...)
Clarke's masterful evocation of the far future of humanity, considered his finest novel Men had built cities before, but never such a city as Diaspar. For millennia its protective dome shut out the creeping decay and danger of the world outside. Once, it held powers that rule the stars. But then, as legend has it, the invaders came, driving humanity into this last refuge. It takes one man, a Unique, to break through Diaspar's stifling inertia, to smash the legend and discover the true nature of the Invaders.
(The Deep Range is a 1957 science fiction novel, concernin...)
The Deep Range is a 1957 science fiction novel, concerning a future sub-mariner who works in the field of aquaculture, farming the seas. The story includes the capture of a sea monster similar to a kraken.
(In the White Hart Pub in London just north of Fleet Stree...)
In the White Hart Pub in London just north of Fleet Street, Harry Purvis holds court with his fellow writers of scientific yarns. A consummate storyteller, Harry is joined by the actual writers Samuel Youd, John Wyndham, and Clarke himself, all under pseudonyms, and all trying to outdo each other with their outlandish tales of science and invention.
(Time is running out for the passengers and crew of the to...)
Time is running out for the passengers and crew of the tourist cruiser Selene, incarcerated in a sea of choking lunar dust. On the surface, her rescuers find their resources stretched to the limit by the mercilessly unpredictable conditions of a totally alien environment.
(The invention of computers was a godsend to the obscure m...)
The invention of computers was a godsend to the obscure monks deep in the Himalayas. Their centuries-long project to write out all of God's names could be sped up by thousands of years. And only they had any clue what would come next!
(From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the...)
From the savannas of Africa at the dawn of mankind to the rings of Saturn as man ventures to the outer rim of our solar system, 2001: A Space Odyssey is a journey unlike any other. This allegory about humanity’s exploration of the universe—and the universe’s reaction to humanity—is a hallmark achievement in storytelling that follows the crew of the spacecraft Discovery as they embark on a mission to Saturn.
(Set in the 2130s, the story involves a 50-kilometre (31 m...)
Set in the 2130s, the story involves a 50-kilometre (31 mi) cylindrical alien starship that enters the Solar System. The story is told from the point of view of a group of human explorers who intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries.
(The plot follows the protagonist, Duncan Makenzie, on a t...)
The plot follows the protagonist, Duncan Makenzie, on a trip to Earth from his home on Titan, in large part as a diplomatic visit to the U.S. for its quincentennial in 2276, but also to have a clone of himself produced.
(In the 22nd century visionary scientist Vannevar Morgan c...)
In the 22nd century visionary scientist Vannevar Morgan conceives the most grandiose engineering project of all time, and one which will revolutionize the future of humankind of space: a Space Elevator, 36,000 kilometres high, anchored to an equatorial island in the Indian Ocean.
(Nine years after the ill-fated Discovery One mission to J...)
Nine years after the ill-fated Discovery One mission to Jupiter, a joint Soviet-American crew travels to the planet to investigate the mysterious monolith orbiting the planet, the cause of the earlier mission’s failure—and what became of astronaut David Bowman. The crew includes project expert Heywood Floyd, and Dr. Chandra, the creator of HAL 9000. What they discover is an unsettling alien conspiracy tampering with the evolution of life on Jupiter’s moons as well as that of humanity itself. Meanwhile, the being that was once Dave Bowman—the only human to unlock the mystery of the monolith—streaks toward Earth on a vital mission of its own.
(Just a few islands in a planetwide ocean, Thalassa was a ...)
Just a few islands in a planetwide ocean, Thalassa was a veritable paradise—home to one of the small colonies founded centuries before by robot Mother Ships when the Sun had gone nova and mankind had fled Earth. Mesmerized by the beauty of Thalassa and overwhelmed by its vast resources, the colonists lived an idyllic existence, unaware of the monumental evolutionary event slowly taking place between their seas. Then the Magellan arrived in orbit carrying one million refugees from the last, mad days on Earth. And suddenly uncertainty and change had come to the placid paradise that was Thalassa.
(It is the third book in Clarke's Space Odyssey series. It...)
It is the third book in Clarke's Space Odyssey series. It returns to one of the lead characters of the previous novels, Heywood Floyd, and their adventures from the 2061 return of Halley's Comet to Jupiter's moon Europa.
(In 2007, just five years before the centennial of the sin...)
In 2007, just five years before the centennial of the sinking of the "Titanic," two corporations--one English, one Japanese--each using futuristic technology, contend with each other over the ship's retrieval.
(In this book, Clarke's best stories about our home planet...)
In this book, Clarke's best stories about our home planet are gathered together. He shows us around his home to share his wonder. He invites us to share his vision and his dream.
(A century into the future, technology has solved most of ...)
A century into the future, technology has solved most of the problems that have plagued our time. However, a new problem is on the horizon—one greater than humanity has ever faced. A massive asteroid is racing toward Earth, and its impact could destroy all life on the planet.
(It is the fourth and final book in Clarke's Space Odyssey...)
It is the fourth and final book in Clarke's Space Odyssey series. The body of Frank Poole, lost for a thousand years since the computer HAL caused his death en route to Jupiter, is retrieved, revived—and enhanced. In the most eagerly awaited sequel of all time, the terrifying truth of the Monoliths’ mission is a mystery only Poole can resolve.
(The Trigger is a 1999 science fiction novel by Arthur C. ...)
The Trigger is a 1999 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke and Michael P. Kube-McDowell. It is an attempt to explore the social impact of technological change.
(Time's Eye is a 2003 science fiction novel co-written by ...)
Time's Eye is a 2003 science fiction novel co-written by British writers Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. It is the first book in the A Time Odyssey series.
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke was a British science fiction writer and futurist, as well as an inventor and undersea explorer, who became famous around the world after the release of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). He also wrote over a dozen books and many essays, which appeared in various popular magazines.
Background
Arthur Charles Clarke was born on December 16, 1917 in the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset, England. His parents, Charles Wright and Nora (Willis) Clarke, were farmers. As a child, he enjoyed stargazing and reading American science fiction magazines, which sparked his lifelong enthusiasm for space sciences.
Education
Clarke was educated at Huish's Grammar School in Taunton, Somerset (nowadays Richard Huish College, Taunton). He first began reading science fiction at the age of 12, when he first discovered the pulp magazine Amazing Stories. It soon became his principal passion. As a teenager, Clarke began writing his own stories for a school magazine. When poverty forced him to drop out of school in 1936, he moved to London to work as a civil servant auditor for the British government. He kept up his interest in outer space by joining the British Interplanetary Society, an association of sci-fi hobbyists. He wrote articles on space exploration for the Society journal and got to know other science fiction writers and editors. He would later use these contacts to secure the publication of his first stories.
When World War II broke out, Clarke joined the Royal Air Force (RAF), where he worked as a radar instructor and earned the rank of flight-lieutenant. During this time, Clarke served as a technical officer on the first Ground Control Approach radar. In 1945, he wrote an article, "Extraterrestrial Relays," which proposed using satellites for communications, something which would become quite common in later years. After the war ended he returned to London and enrolled at King's College. He graduated in 1948 with a bachelor of science degree. His honor subjects were mathematics and physics.
In 1988, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Letters) by the University of Bath.
In 1946, Clarke became the chairman of the British Interplanetary Society. That spring saw the publication of his first two science fiction stories, "Loophole" and "Rescue Party" (both published in Amazing Science Fiction magazine). During this period, he often wrote under pen names, which included Charles Willis and E. G. O'Brien. His early stories were known for their tidy construction and sound scientific basis.
In 1949, Clarke returned to hard science, joining the staff of Physics Abstracts as its assistant editor. But he continued writing about outer space as well. His first novel, Prelude to Space was published in 1951. Another book, The Sands of Mars followed later that year. While many reviewers found the prose in these novels a bit stiff, they did offer an optimistic view of the potentials of science in the space age. Islands in the Sky (1952), about a boy in an orbiting space station, was another representative early book.
In 1953 he published Expedition to Earth, a collection of short stories which included "The Sentinel." This tale, which involves the discovery by humans of a mysterious alien monolith, was to form the basis of the 1968 film and novelization 2001: A Space Odyssey. It also marked the introduction of metaphysical and religious themes into Clarke's work. Many readers saw "The Sentinel" as an allegory about man's search for God. Certainly it expressed Clarke's belief in the power of science in helping mankind understand the universe.
Clarke continued to explore these themes in his next two books. Against the Fall of Night (1953) follows a young protagonist in his attempts to escape from the controlled environment of a utopian city of the future. Childhood's End involves an attempt by aliens to tutor mankind in the ways of cosmic transcendence. Both stories so gripped Clarke's imagination that he spent many years revising and rewriting them under various titles. Both novels are highly conceptual and contain many mystical, visionary passages. They are considered two of his finest achievements and helped break new ground in the science fiction genre.
Clarke maintained other interests during this fertile period as well. In 1954, he took the first step in what would become a lifelong effort to explore and photograph the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and the coast of Sri Lanka. He took up residence in Sri Lanka (known at the time as Ceylon) in 1956. An avid skin diver, Clarke wrote many non-fiction books and articles about his experiences.
Clarke continued to write prolifically throughout the 1950s. His work came to embrace many topics that went beyond the conventions of genre science fiction. The Deep Range (1954) concerned the possibility of farming under the sea in the future, managing to combine Clarke's interests in science and underwater exploration. The Star (1955) was another powerful allegorical story about a star put in the sky by God to herald the birth of Jesus.
In the 1960s, Clarke began to concentrate on non-fiction. In 1963, he published his first non-science fiction novel, Glide Path, about the origins of radar. As space travel became more reality than fiction, Clarke began to write and speak extensively on the subject. He became well-known around the world as a television commentator for CBS covering the Apollo 11, 12, and 15 missions.
Clarke's fame took a quantum leap with the release of Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). This adaptation of Clarke's short story "The Sentinel" redefined science fiction filmmaking. It eschewed the cowboy conventions of earlier, Western-influenced movies about space exploration. Instead, 2001 followed Clarke's lead in using science fiction as a bridge to the consideration of mystical and religious themes. The limits of technology were also explored, in a scene where a space station's super computer, known as HAL 9000, goes berserk and attempts to kill its human users. The picture was a hit with moviegoers and made Clarke the most recognizable science fiction writer on the planet. He penned a novelization of the film which expanded upon the characters and themes contained in "The Sentinel."
Clarke used his newfound international celebrity to secure a lucrative new book contract. A collection of his non-fiction science writing, The Exploration of Space, A new novel, Rendezvous with Rama appeared in 1973. Imperial Earth: A Fantasy of Love and Discord (1975) got a decidedly mixed reception from critics. But Clarke bounced back with Fountains of Paradise (1979). Clarke disappointed many of his fans, however, when he announced it would be his last book of fiction.
By 1982, despite his previous statements, Clarke was ready to write another novel. He produced a sequel, 2010: Odyssey Two, which was made into a popular film two years later. It was followed in 1986 by 2061: Odyssey Three, solidifying the "Sentinel" mythos into a full-blown series.
Now in his seventies and a certified living legend, Clarke showed no signs of slowing down. With help from co-author Gentry Lee, he produced sequels to Rendezvous with Rama in 1989, 1991, and 1994. In 1989, his memoir, Astounding Days: A Science Fictional Autobiography appeared. The entertaining account of his life contains many fascinating anecdotes about other writers Clarke had known. The solo novel The Ghost from the Grand Banks (1990), about attempts to raise the Titanic in the near future, was dismissed by reviewers as too spare. But 3001: The Final Odyssey (1997) returned Clarke to familiar and beloved territory.
The sprawling conclusion to the saga begun in "The Sentinel" some 45 years earlier read like a summation of the visionary writer's life and philosophy. Clarke's critics have said his work lacks warmth, that he concentrated on science to the detriment of the "human element" that is so necessary to good fiction. But critics sympathetic to Clarke's viewpoint see in his work a vision that transcends the limitations of "nuts and bolts" sci-fi. That vision, wrote Eric S. Rabkin in his study Arthur C. Clarke, is "a humane and open and fundamentally optimistic view of humankind and its potential in a universe which dwarfs us in physical size but which we may hope some day to match in spirit."
Clarke’s final novel, The Last Theorem (2008), which concerns an alien invasion and a new short proof of Fermat’s last theorem, was completed by Frederik Pohl.
Clarke displayed little interest in religion early in his life, for example, only discovering a few months after marrying that his wife had strong Presbyterian beliefs. In a 1991 essay entitled "Credo", Clarke described himself as a logical positivist from the age of ten. In 2000, Clarke identified himself as an atheist. He has also described himself as a "crypto-Buddhist", insisting that Buddhism is not a religion. In a three-day "dialogue on man and his world" with Alan Watts, Clarke stated that he was biased against religion and said that he could not forgive religions for what he perceived as their inability to prevent atrocities and wars over time. Clarke left written instructions for a funeral that stated: "Absolutely no religious rites of any kind, relating to any religious faith, should be associated with my funeral."
Politics
Clarke believed that politics will never win technology in the struggle for freedom of information. He was against the extreme forms of nationalism and supported the idea of human jobs being replaced by robots, as well as the idea of the use of renewable energy.
Views
Clarke conceded that there might be intelligent life in outer space. A recurring theme in Clarke's works is the notion that the evolution of an intelligent species would eventually make them something close to gods. This was explored in his 1953 novel Childhood's End and briefly touched upon in his novel Imperial Earth. The first of the two stated also shows Clarke’s fascination with the paranormal. However, the author stated, that he did not believe in reincarnation, saying that there was no mechanism to make it possible.
Quotations:
"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
"I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here."
"The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible."
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
"One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion. So now people assume that religion and morality have a necessary connection. But the basis of morality is really very simple and doesn't require religion at all."
"How inappropriate to call this planet "Earth," when it is clearly "Ocean."
"My favourite definition of an intellectual: 'Someone who has been educated beyond his/her intelligence."
"Magic's just science that we don't understand yet."
"I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical."
"Before you become too entranced with gorgeous gadgets and mesmerizing video displays, let me remind you that information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. Each grows out of the other, and we need them all."
"Any path to knowledge is a path to God—or Reality, whichever word one prefers to use."
"I don't believe in God or an afterlife."
"Most malevolent and persistent of all mind viruses. We should get rid of it as quick as we can." [on religion]
"I sometimes think that the universe is a machine designed for the perpetual astonishment of astronomers."
"How romantic, if even now, we can hear the dying voice of a star, which heralded the Christian era."
"In the struggle for freedom of information, technology, not politics, will be the ultimate decider".
"It is not easy to see how the more extreme forms of nationalism can long survive when men have seen the Earth in its true perspective as a single small globe against the stars."
"Any teacher that can be replaced by a machine should be!"
"I would like to see us kick our current addiction to oil, and adopt clean energy sources... Climate change has now added a new sense of urgency. Our civilisation depends on energy, but we can't allow oil and coal to slowly bake our planet."
"The best proof that there's intelligent life in outer space is the fact that it hasn't come here...the fact that we have not yet found the slightest evidence for life — much less intelligence — beyond this Earth does not surprise or disappoint me in the least. Our technology must still be laughably primitive; we may well be like jungle savages listening for the throbbing of tom-toms, while the ether around them carries more words per second than they could utter in a lifetime."
"Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."
Membership
Clarke was a member of the British Interplanetary Society, as well as its chairman from 1946–47 and again in 1951–53, and a member of Royal Astronomical Society. He was a distinguished vice-president of the H. G. Wells Society, being strongly influenced by Wells as a science-fiction writer.
In 1986, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. The author was also for many years a Vice-Patron of the British Polio Fellowship. In 2000, he was named a Distinguished Supporter of the British Humanist Association. Clarke was also the Honorary Board Chair of the Institute for Cooperation in Space, founded by Carol Rosin, and served on the Board of Governors of the National Space Society, a space advocacy organisation founded by Wernher von Braun.
British Interplanetary Society
,
United Kingdom
1934 - 2008
Royal Astronomical Society
,
United Kingdom
National Academy of Engineering
,
United States
1986
Personality
Anyone who talked with Clarke for very long discovered several characteristics of his conversation that make it both delightful and sometimes difficult to follow. He was afflicted with what he refers to as a "butterfly mind." His conversation flits in and out of subjects, passing from one to the other.
When he wrote, however, his style was a singular amalgam of scientific erudition, speculative imagination, and a profoundly poetic feeling for the strange and only partly understood objects - stars, moons, planets, asteroids - that populate our universe.
Since Clarke was himself an unswerving optimist, with an all but Buddhist reverence for life, the worlds that he created, however strange, were usually basically benign. Even a casual reader of Clarke’s fiction cannot fail to be struck by the fact that its animals, robots, and aliens often appear to be more human than the human beings.
Clarke - despite the fact that he had never learned to swim properly - was an ardent deep-sea diver and photographer.
Physical Characteristics:
Arthur C. Clarke suffered from post-polio syndrome during his later years and had to use a wheelchair. He died from respiratory failure at the age of 90 in 2008.
Quotes from others about the person
Stanley Kubrick: "Arthur somehow manages to capture the hopeless but admirable human desire to know things that can really never be known."
Stanley Kubrick: "He can take an inanimate object like a star or a world, or even a galaxy, and somehow make it into a very poignant thing that almost seems alive."
Interests
photography
Writers
H. G. Wells
Sport & Clubs
diving
Connections
Clarke married an American divorcee, Marilyn Mayfield, in 1953, but divorced soon after and remained a bachelor for the rest of his life. He was close to a Sri Lankan man, Leslie Ekanayake, whom Clarke called his "only perfect friend of a lifetime" in the dedication to his novel The Fountains of Paradise. When asked if he was gay, Clarke replied that his main relationships had been with his dog Pepsi, and with the youngest of his friend Hector's three daughters, all of whom he had 'adopted' and helped to bring up.
The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
Encompassing 4,360 entries that provide critical insight and biographical and bibliographical data, an updated edition of a popular science fiction reference features a carefully cross-referenced format.
Arthur C. Clarke: The Authorized Biography
Portrays the life and career of Arthur C. Clarke, including interviews with friends and colleagues and highlighting his contributions to science fiction.
Arthur C. Clarke
Gary Westfahl closely examines Clarke's remarkable career, ranging from his forgotten juvenilia to the passages he completed for a final novel, The Last Theorem.
On 14 November 2005 Sri Lanka awarded Clarke its highest civilian award, the Sri Lankabhimanya (The Pride of Sri Lanka), for his contributions to science and technology and his commitment to his adopted country.
On 14 November 2005 Sri Lanka awarded Clarke its highest civilian award, the Sri Lankabhimanya (The Pride of Sri Lanka), for his contributions to science and technology and his commitment to his adopted country.
shared a 1969 Academy Award nomination with Stanley Kubrick in the category Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
shared a 1969 Academy Award nomination with Stanley Kubrick in the category Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen for 2001: A Space Odyssey.