One of the great writers of the 20th century has left us. Arthur C Clarke, best known for his books 2001: A Space Odyssey Rendezvous with Rama, Earthlight and The Sands of Mars.
But Arthur C. Clarke was not only a science fiction writer. He was an avid scuba diver (which is why he moved to Sri Lanka), and he came up with the concept of using geo-stationary satellites for communicatiions. The geostationary orbit is sometimes called the Clarke Orbit in his honor. He was even involved in some satellite programs, including Telstar.
He will be missed.