Colombo, Sri Lanka, March 19, 2008—Renowned science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke lies in his coffin at his Colombo home, ready to make his last and perhaps greatest journey.
The visionary writer never made it the stars himself, but his famous novels—including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Childhood's End, Rendezvous with Rama, and The Fountains of Paradise—brought the wonders of space and technology to millions around the world.
Also a renowned scientist, Clarke is credited with coming up with the concept of communications satellites in 1945 and popularized the ideas of geosynchronous orbits and space elevators.
Clarke died on Wednesday at the age of 90 in his adopted home of Sri Lanka. He will be buried there on Saturday in a simple, secular funeral with no religious rites of any kind, as were his wishes.