Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer

This Distinguished Public Service Medal was awarded by NASA to Sir Arthur C. Clarke in 1995. Born in 1917, Arthur C. Clarke stands as one of the pre-eminent authors of science fiction in the 20th century. He had equal stature as a popularizer of the new postwar field of space exploration. Clarke achieved renown, too, as the originator of the idea of geostationary orbits, a concept fundamental to the development of communications satellites. Coming into his professional prime after World War II, Clarke’s work found multinational appeal as advances in science and technology became central to the Cold War and to an expanding consumer society. He is perhaps most well-known for his collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick on the 1968 film classic "2001: A Space Odyssey."

In recognition of his varied accomplishments, Clarke received numerous awards and honors, including this one.

The Museum acquired Clarke’s personal papers and select memorabilia in 2014.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details
Country of Origin United States of America Type AWARDS-Medals & Ribbons Manufacturer National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Dimensions 3-D (box): 17.8 × 11.1 × 2.5cm (7 × 4 3/8 × 1 in.)
Materials metal, fabric, vinyl, plastic
Inventory Number A20160101000 Credit Line Gift of the Arthur C. Clarke Collection of Sri Lanka Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.