news - 12.29.04

Sri Lanka Update from Sir Arthur

Sir Arthur Clarke has been asked many, many times if he’s miffed that his invention of the communications satellite concept in late 1945 never really paid him a penny. His standard reply is to laugh and explain that he did not believe his original vision would be realized for many decades, and then he concludes by saying, "But I still think it’s a good idea!"

Back in 1945, Clarke combined the technologies of rocketry, wireless communications, and radar to envision an extra-terrestrial system that relied on orbiting space stations to relay radio signals around the world. Just a dozen years later, the launch of Sputnik electrified the world, and brought his vision a step closer to reality. Less than a decade after that, in April 1965, the new international satellite telecommunications organization, Intelsat, under the management of the United States’ Communications Satellite Corporation (COMSAT), successfully placed the Early Bird satellite over the Atlantic Ocean into what is now known worldwide as "the Clarke orbit."

Just in time for the Apollo 11 lunar landing in July 1969, Intelsat completed a sequence of launches that placed satellites in space over each of the three ocean regions foreseen by Clarke nearly 25 years earlier. As Intelsat satellites beamed live coverage of Neil Armstrong’s "giant leap for Mankind," Clarke joined Walter Cronkite in the “global broadcast booth” to provide expert commentary on the mission and its relevance to a breathless world.

This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the publication of Sir Arthur’s short article, "Extra-Terrestrial Relays," in the October 1945 edition of Wireless World. His words put into play the minds of other scientists and visionaries working with rockets and radio, leading to the global satellite system and instant connectivity we take for granted today.

Thank you, Sir Arthur . . .

Return in the coming weeks to learn more about the anniversary year of Arthur C. Clarke’s famous article.

From Sir Arthur:

Thank you for your concern about my safety in the wake of last Sunday’s devastating tidal wave.

I am enormously relieved that my family and household have escaped the ravages of the sea that suddenly invaded most parts of coastal Sri Lanka, leaving a trail of destruction.

But many others were not so fortunate. My heart-felt sympathy goes out to all those who lost family members or friends.

Our staff members are all safe, even though some are badly shaken and relate harrowing first hand accounts of what happened. Most of our diving equipment and boats at Hikkaduwa were washed away. We still don't know the full extent of damage -- it will take a while for us to take stock as accessing these areas is still difficult.

We are encouraging concerned friends to contribute to the relief efforts launched by various national and international organisations. If you wish to join these efforts, I can recommend two options:

- Contribute to a Sri Lanka disaster relief fund launched by an internationally operating humanitarian charity, such as Care* or Oxfam*

- Alternatively, considering supporting Sarvodaya, the largest development charity in Sri Lanka, which has a 45-year track record in reaching out and helping the poorest of the poor. Sarvodaya has mounted a well organised, countrywide relief effort using their countrywide network of offices and volunteers who work in all parts of the country, well above ethnic and other divisions. Their website,

http://www.sarvodaya.org/

provides bank account details for financial donations. They also welcome contributions in kind.

There is much to be done in both short and long terms for Sri Lanka to raise its head from this blow from the seas. Among other things, the country needs to improve its technical and communications facilities so that effective early warnings can help minimise losses in future disasters.

Arthur Clarke
29 December 2004

*These links are to the organizations' homepages. Direct links to their involvement pages are included in the links below:

Sarvodaya:
homepage: http://www.sarvodaya.org/
Care:
homepage: http://www.care.org/
donations: https://donate.care.org/05/170420990000/
involvement: http://www.careusa.org/getinvolved/index.asp
Oxfam:
homepage: http://www.oxfam.org/
involvement: http://www.oxfam.org/eng/getinvolved.htm
Asian Earthquake & Tsunami Fund: https://secure.ga3.org/02/asia_earthquake04

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