1st Heinlein Prize Awarded 116
baxissimo writes "The first ever Heinlein prize for Advances in Space Commercialization is going to be awarded to Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, for various activities including his efforts as Founder and Chairman of the Ansari X Prize. The prize is a cool 1/2 million USD plus a few other nifty trinkets -- a gold Heinlein Medallion, the Lady Vivamus Sword (as described in Heinlein's book Glory Road) and a Laureate's Diploma. The award ceremony will be held in Houston, July 7, 2006. This prize has been around a good while (since Heinlein's death in 1988?) with no awardees. Hopefully this will make the existence of the prize a little more widely known, and help spur further developments like the X Prize."
You'd think... (Score:5, Insightful)
But on a serious note, I'm glad this prize is out there. Aside from the usual flamewar about private industry versus government-driven research, it seems to me the more people/companies/organizations/entities that are trying to get into space, the faster our species as a whole will get off this rock and start exploring the universe.
Heinlein was remarkably prescient... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Misplaced recognition (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:What is it with Heinlein? (Score:5, Insightful)
Oh, you mean libertarian [wikipedia.org]?
Heinlein's thoughts on net neutrality? (Score:2, Insightful)
"There has grown up in the minds of certain groups in this
country the notion that because a man or a corporation has made a
profit out of the public for a number of years, the government
and the courts are charged with the duty of guaranteeing such
profit in the future, even in the face of changing circumstances
and contrary public interest."
-- Robert Heinlein, "Life-Line" (1939)
Re:What is it with Heinlein? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Misplaced recognition (Score:4, Insightful)
Did you even read the linked page? I think his list of accomplishments more than qualifies him for the prize:
2004 - Co-founded and currently serves as Chairman of Rocket Racing League - Combining the excitement of Indy car racing with the challenge of Rocketry, this league will have rocket planes race against each other on a 3D race track in the sky. Races are scheduled to begin next year.
1997 - Co-founded Space Adventures Ltd - Space Adventures is the leading space tourism travel agency. Space Adventures is best known for arranging the flight of Dennis Tito to the International Space Station in 2001, making him the first space tourist.
1996 - Founded and currently serves as Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation - In addition to the successful Ansari X PRIZE, Diamandis is leading the Foundation in its effort to create prizes in several other industries including genomics, water treatment, education, as well as, the automotive industry.
1995 -Co-Founded and served as President of Angel Technologies Corporation - Angel Technologies Corporation is a commercial communications company developing wireless broadband communications networks.
1993 - Chairman & CEO of Zero Gravity Corporation - The only commercial space company in the world offering FAA-certified weightless flights utilizing a Boeing 727-200 aircraft. More than 200 people have experienced weightlessness since flights began three years ago.
1991 - Founded and served as Director of Constellation Communications, Inc. (CCI) - CCI is one of five low-Earth orbit applicants designing a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation for voice telephony.
1989 - Founded and served as CEO of International MicroSpace, Inc. (IMI) - IMI was an entrepreneurial space technologies company focusing on the provision of low-cost launch services (ORBEX(TM) launch vehicle program).
1987 - Founder & Managing Director & CEO of International Space University (ISU) - ISU is the world's leading graduate program for multi-national and multi-disciplinary study of space.
1985 - Co-founded the Space Generation Foundation - A non-profit organization to create a sense of identity in all people born since the advent of the Space Age on October 4, 1957. The Foundation supports numerous educational and research projects.
1980 - Founded the Students for Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) - SEDS is currently the world's largest student based pro-space organization.
Re:What is it with Heinlein? (Score:5, Insightful)
Er, not quite so much. That may be one of the more common positions that seem to be advocated by his books, but it is not by far the only one. For instance, "starship troopers" is more about the nature of war and civic duty than about commerce. Also springing to mind are "Stranger in a strange land", which some have suggested was part of the origin of the whole "free love" movement. "The Moon is a harsh mistress" doesn't so much go for capitalistic propaganda as the assertion that paying for what you get is unavoidable, even in a society that tries to obscure it. "Beyond This Horizon" goes farther, with money being considered just a representation of a share in the production of the society.
All in all, my impression is that the primary purpose in the whole set is to get people thinking. Some of the books make Heinlein seem to come from one side; other books make it look like his actual opinion is completely on the other side. The predominant impression I got from them was one of "relationships are important" and "human beings should think". I mean, one of the main themes in "starship troppers" was the idea of formulating a system of morals based on clear and precise reasoning from a set of axioms.