Robert L. Forward | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1932-08-15)August 15, 1932[1] Geneva, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Died | September 21, 2002(2002-09-21) (aged 70)[1] Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Maryland UCLA |
| Known for | Statite |
| Spouse | Martha Dodson (1954–2002; his death) |
| Children | Robert Dodson Forward Mary Lois Mattlin Julie Elizabeth Fuller Eve Laurel Forward |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physicist |
| Institutions | Hughes Aircraft Tethers Unlimited, Inc. |
| Thesis | Detectors for Dynamic Gravitational Fields (1965) |
| Doctoral advisor | Joseph Weber David Mandeen Zipoy |
Robert Lull Forward (August 15, 1932 – September 21, 2002) was an Americanphysicist andscience fiction writer.[2] His literary work was noted for its scientific credibility and use of ideas developed from his career as anaerospace engineer. He also made important contributions togravitational wave detection research.[3]
Forward earned his doctorate from theUniversity of Maryland in 1965, with a thesis entitledDetectors for Dynamic Gravitational Fields, for the development of abar antenna for the detection ofgravitational radiation.[4]
He then went to work at the research labs ofHughes Aircraft, where he continued his research on gravity measurement and received 18patents. He took early retirement in 1987, to focus on his fiction writing and consulting for such clients asNASA and theU.S. Air Force. In 1994, he co-founded the companyTethers Unlimited, Inc. withRobert P. Hoyt, where he served as chief scientist and chairman until 2002.
Much of his research focused on the leading edges of speculative physics but was always grounded in what he believed humans could accomplish. He worked on such projects asspace tethers[5] andspace fountains,solar sails (includingStarwisp),antimatter propulsion, and otherspacecraft propulsion technologies, and did further research on more esoteric possibilities such astime travel andnegative matter. He was issued a patent for thestatite, and contributed to a concept todrain the Van Allen Belts.
Forward's extensive work in the field ofgravitational wave detection included the invention of the rotating cruciformgravity gradiometer or 'Forward Mass Detector', for LunarMascon (mass concentration) measurements. The gravity gradiometer is described in the well-known textbookGravitation by Misner, Thorne & Wheeler. The principle behind it is quite simple; getting the implementation right is tricky. Essentially, two beams are crossed over and connected with an axle through their crossing point. They are held at right angles to each other by springs. They have heavy masses at the ends of the beams, and the whole assembly spun around the common axle at high speed. The angle between the beams is measured continuously, and if it varies with a period half that of the rotation period, it means that the detector is experiencing a measurable gravitational field gradient.
In 1984, Forward published his theoretical design for a "Casimir battery", utilizing the electromagneticZero-point energy and the attractive force associated. The Casimir force would pull the plates together, if the plates were charged with same polarity and the electrostatic force applied to the plates is adjusted. The Casimir force will pull the plates together increasing the electric field between each plate and producing a voltage. The battery could be "recharged" by increasing the electrostatic force, pushing the plates apart.[6]
In addition to more than 200 papers and articles, he published 11 novels. Critics' reviews were mixed, always praising the science concepts and the aliens he created, but often finding the plots thin and the humans shallow.[4]His treatment of hard-science topics in fictional form is highly reminiscent of the work ofHal Clement. He described his first novel,Dragon's Egg, as "a textbook on neutron star physics disguised as a novel."[7] His novelRocheworld describes a double-planet system with a single shared atmosphere and ocean, and abeam-powered propulsion interstellar space ship to get there. Forward co-authored two Rocheworld novels with his wife,Martha Dodson Forward, and two additional Rocheworld novels with his second daughter, Julie Fuller. Forward also helpedLarry Niven calculate the parameters of theSmoke Ring for his novelThe Integral Trees. Much of his scientific research in speculative physics serves as inspiration for science fiction, many of his ideas onZero-point energy,[8][9]Interstellar travel and propulsion can be found in contemporary and modern scientific fiction.
Forward's son,Bob Forward, has led a successful career as a storyboard artist and writer in television animation, including inHe-Man and the Masters of the Universe,The Legend of Zelda, and most famously,Beast Wars. He is also the author of two novels,The Owl andThe Owl 2: Scarlet Serenade.
Forward's youngest,Eve Forward, has written two novels:Villains by Necessity andAnimist.
In 2001, Forward received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. He died on September 21, 2002.[1]
Both collected in an omnibus editionDragon's Egg & Starquake (1994)
Forward also wrote manyarticles in scientific journals and filed manypatents, mainly while working forHughes Aircraft.
