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Last Updated: Wednesday, 19 March 2008, 16:17 GMT

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Arthur C Clarke: predictions
The imagination of the science fiction author Sir Arthur C Clarke bubbled over with ideas about the future of science, technology and human society. Here, BBC science and technology staff look at some that came true, and some that did not.

1. Space elevator
3. Space guard
5. Atomic travel 2. Millennium Bug
4. Communications satellites
6. Earthquake prevention
7. Brain backup 8. People freezing





1. SPACE ELEVATOR
A space elevator consists of a ribbon of material strung between a spacecraft and an anchor on Earth. The tether would be used to transport material from Earth into space.


Space elevators would link Earth to objects in geostationary orbit
Sir Arthur first talked about the concept in his 1979 novel The Fountains of Paradise, in which engineers construct a space elevator on top of a mountain peak on a fictional island.

He embellished these concepts in his 1981 technical paper The Space Elevator: Thought Experiment, or Key to the Universe?

Although he brought the concept of a space elevator to a wider audience, the idea was first conceived by Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in 1895.

The idea may sound like it should remain in the realm of science fiction, but many take it seriously.

Nasa has had a long-running space elevator research project, and recent developments with carbon nanotubes have raised the possibility of developing a tether strong enough to connect a ship to Earth - previously one of the key challenges.

For the last three years there has even been a competition, run by the Elevator:2010 project, which awards prizes of $500,000 to help develop the technology.

ARTHUR

Rest in peace....