He originated the plan for a system of communications satellites in geostationary orbit 1945. His works include the short story The Sentinel 1951 (filmed 1968 by Stanley Kubrick as 2001: A Space Odyssey), Childhood's End 1953, and 2010: Odyssey Two 1982. Clarke was born in Minehead, Somerset, served in the Royal Air Force during World War II, and then studied at King's College, London. He became chair of the British Interplanetary Society 1946, the year his first story was published. In 1956 he moved to Sri Lanka. His popular-science books generally concern space exploration; his fiction is marked by an optimistic belief in the potential of science and technology.
