Robert A. Heinlein: A Biographical Sketch

The Heinlein Society ^ | 1999 | Bill Patterson

[Sparta]

Robert Anson Heinlein was born on 7 July 1907, in Butler, Bates County, Missouri, the third son of Rex Ivar Heinlein and Bam Lyle Heinlein. At the time of Robert's birth, the family had been living with his maternal grandfather, Alva Lyle, M.D. A few months after Heinlein was born, his family moved from Butler to Kansas City, Missouri, where he was to grow up, but Heinlein vividly recalled the summers spent with Grandfather Lyle until his death in 1914.

[Sparta]

A treat for all Heinlein fans, so enjoy.

[Drumbo]

This wonderful read about a literary giant deserves a bump.

"Democracy can withstand anything but democrats."
Jubal Harshaw (Robert A. Heinlein)

[Lurker]

Mr. Heinlein was a great man.

"Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" and "Friday" changed my life.

Regards,

P.S. "Be able to find your clothes and your weapons in the dark" Lazarus Long

[Windshark]

This is "sketch"?????

I don't grok this....

[coydog]

Thanks!

[redrock]

Heinlein BUMP!!!!!

redrock

[End The Hypocrisy]

Why doesn't NASA finally procure better, cheaper launching services through Newt Gingrich's idea of awarding competitive prizes, instead of wasteful cost-plus contracts? NASA's flirting with the idea but.... For more details:

http://www.spaceprojects.com/prizes

[calenel]

Thank you.

[Neanderthal]

Thanks for finding this.

[LostTribe]

ping.

[Wondering in Wyoming]

I had the opportunity to spend two months on the
boat with them when he and Ginny visited Antarctica.
They both regularly kicked my ass in Scrabble.
They were very active in the cause of getting more
people to donate blood on a monthly basis much as
they do in New Zealand.

[TheLion]

Thanks for the post. This has has been very enjoyable reading. I am a lifelong sci-fi fan and collector.

I have always been amazed at the junk put out by movie makers when there is so much good material available in literature. It is a shame that most people never get further than TV and movie exposure to sci-fi. My parents used to think science fiction was giant spiders and creatures spawned from the atomic age. Well, that was the 50's for you. The TV series in the early 60's, "The Outer Limits" came close a few times to some great fiction...used to be rivited to that show!

While Heinlein is not my favorite author, he is certainly right up there. He might well have been the most influential in getting me into science fiction at a young age. He had a way of making it all seem so real. I do have most of his works in paperback.....along with my other 1200 or so....lol

His early works are, by far, the best, IMO. They are well structured and very enjoyable reading. I think his writing got stranger as the years went by.

Just went over and counted 29 of his works on my shelf. Think I will dust them off and re-read a few!

[Paleo Conservative]

Why doesn't NASA finally procure better, cheaper launching services through Newt Gingrich's idea of awarding competitive prizes, instead of wasteful cost-plus contracts? NASA's flirting with the idea but.... For more details:

I think NASA would have to be abolished first. NASA was formed from NACA in so that the space program would be in civilian control rather than military. NACA had primarily been a research institute for aeronautical engineering problems. With the start of the space program, it became a monopoly provider of launch services for both manned exploration missions but also military, scientific, and commercial payloads.

Even worse it was a monopoly supplier of satellites. A company that wanted to use a communications satellite had to contact COMSAT which was the domestic communication satellite monopoly which would buy it from NASA. INTELSAT was the corresponding legal monopoly supplier of international communications satellites. NASA would then order the satellite from a satellite manufacturer order a rocket from one of the rocket manufacturers and launch the satellite from its facilities. It was not till the Reagan administration that satellite procurement was decoupled from launch services, although until the Challeger explosion launch services and launch vehicles were sold bundled by NASA.

Actually the US was very fortunate the Challeger disaster did not happen a year later. NASA had decided to cut costs and eliminate all expendable launch vehicle procurement after the ones on hand had been used up. McDonnel Douglas and Martin Marietta were going to start destroying the dies and machine tools for the Delta and Atlas rockets. One result of the Challenger disaster was to ban the use of the space shuttle for launching commercial satellites. The Reagan administration debundled launch services from launch vehicle acquistion. Companies wanting to buy a communication satellite could now buy satellites and launch vehicles directly from the manufacturers they chose, and they would pay NASA to launch them from their facilities.

NASA should go back to being a research bureau and let the private sector provide space transportation.

[Jalapeno]

When I had heard about the Starship Trooper's project I was quite excited. When I saw it in the theatre I was quite disappointed.

Avalon Hill had done a great board game based on the book in '76. I am surprised it was not mentioned here as another "medium", for this essay seems quite complete.

[AFPhys]

Great Read! Thanks

Heinlein ranks right up with my other SF favorites: Asimov and Verne. Any other SF author, no matter how great, come in on the next tier.

If pressed, I would say that Stranger and Moon is a Harsh Mistress are my favorites. I had a great chuckle when I read the line in the story about Mike the computer taking revenge for him on Cheyenne Mountain in Mistress. That twist I had not heard before.

I disagree with some other posters as to his later works. Some are certainly more difficult reading, but they are all spectacular and worth the time.

[ASOC]

I would note that the military has Troopers on its reading lists. I have also seen several sources that indicate the popular Anime/Magna "Mecha" (Gundam) were born of Troopers. I know my folks freeked out when they read parts of the book. I survived.
A lifelong fan of RAH, I would note that Navy service seemed to run in the family - I met & visited regularly a cousin of RAH in Las Vegas who was a wonderful man & Navy/Air Force vet, I can only guess how RAH would be to meet.
I remember one key phrase "There are no dangerous weapons - only dangerous people."
Hoo-ah

[dhuffman@awod.com]

Thanks. Bookmarked. BTTT

The conspiracy of ignorance masquerades as common sense.

[Rodney King]

Heinlein lost the race at the Democratic primary in August 1938, even though he was running unopposed.

Bwahahahaha.

Glad even the democraps recognized him as the commie traitor that he was.

[bribriagain]

"Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" and "Friday" changed my life.

Mine as well. Made me want to leave Iowa and do something with my life.