As a child I mused at the ‘e’ in his last name, often pronouncing it with the rest of Clark.  Today I’ve learned a great deal from the man, and especially the places where his works have taken me, and I will never forget those places that opened up my imagination to new possibilities.

Clarke leaves a long legacy at an age of 90, where upon he passed away earlier in the day at a hospital in Sri Lanka, his home since 1950.  From the creation of the idea for satellite communication systems in 1945, right after WW II had ended and years before any effort in satellite communications would be undertaken, to his epic and unforgettable 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C. Clarke has become more then a name for a man of great scientific immagination, but an idea that emodies the notion of a future where humans have left the solar system for exploration, found alien life forms, solved global climate problems, and undertaken peace intiatives between the various peoples through out the planet.

As the Internets will undoubtedly fill up with eulogies or epitaphs describing the greatness of Arthur C. Clarke, and personal connections to a man who changed how many of us see the world, as I have done here, we cannot forget his message.  Whilst grand, it can be simple, and that is the Exploration of Space, well beyond our own solar system, is essential to the future of mankind.  While exploration alone cannot fully achieve an end to world hunger or poverty, it cannot be sacrificed for problems that are solvable via human input moreso then technological input.  It takes a scientist and engineer to build a spaceship, and it takes a decent human being to provide food and care for humanity’s sick and poor.  Both can work together.