G. Harry Stine

George Harry Stine (March 26, 1928 - November 2, 1997) is widely regarded as the father of model rocketry. Although he did not invent the hobby – that distinction goes to Orville Carlisle – he popularized it and made it into an organized hobby. He founded the National Association of Rocketry, serving as its president for a time, and authored the authoritative text "Handbook of Model Rocketry". He also helped found the first firm to sell model rocket kits to the public. In addition to the above mentioned handbook, Stine also prepared numerous other technical and science fiction publications.

He wrote science fiction under the name Lee Correy, which included a Star Trek novel called "The Abode of Life" and the original novel "Shuttle Down". Under his own name, he was a regular science-fact columnist for Astounding and its later successor Analog, where his intriguing articles were in a position to influence two generations of budding scientists, social thinkers and film artists. Stine would also occasionally advise Rick Sternbach and Mike Okuda in their work for ' as technical artists and advisors, and was credited in ' for that assistance.

In 1957 he gained some minor prominence as a rocketry expert in the United States after the launch of Sputnik. His book "Earth Satellites and the Race for Space Superiority" was published a month before the unveiling of the USSR's first satellite, and included the prophetic teaser "For the first time since the dawn of history, the Earth is going to have more than one moon. This is due to happen within the next few months—or it may have already happened even at the time you are reading this." [ cite book | author=Dickson, Paul | title=Sputnik: The Launch of the Space Race | publisher=McFarlane Walter & Ross | year=2001 | id=ISBN 1-55199-099-7]

He in addition was invited to advise other projects as his admirers, who saw him as a rallying point for paradigm change, grew up and entered positions of influence. Thus Stine was very interested in the interaction of voluntaristic and free market Libertarian ideas with space colonization and as a tool of citizen diplomacy and world peace, and so was called to serve as Chair of the Advisory Board of the Libertarian International Organization where he mentored various citizen initiatives until his death. In the wake of his book, "The Third Industrial Revolution," he was asked to co-organize the American Astronautical Society 1977 conference on private Space Colonization to re-channel focus away from Space exploration alone, and where he received an award as a Founder of the international space effort. He was interested in the concept of non immediate profit-driven free markets, and was seen as a developer and [http://www.rocket.aero/stine.html defender] of the "Pay It Forward" approach with crony Robert Heinlein, a term also popularized in a movie of that name. Robert Heinlein in part dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Stine. [cite book | author=Heinlein, Robert A | title=The Cat Who Walks Through Walls | publisher=New England Library | year=1986 | id=ISBN 0-450-39315-1]

He died in Phoenix, Arizona of an apparent stroke [ [http://www.sfwa.org/News/stine.htm] SFWA Obituaries, G. Harry Stine] .

For additional information concerning the history of model rocketry go to: [http://www.questaerospace.com/museum.asp Model Rocket Museum Website]

Bibliography

(fiction, paperback, as Lee Correy)
"Star Driver", Del Rey, July 1980
"Shuttle Down", Del Rey, April 1981
"Space Doctor", Del Rey, June 1981
"The Abode of Life", Pocket Science Fiction, May 1982
"A Matter of Metalaw", DAW Science Fiction, October 1986
"Manna", DAW Science Fiction, January 1984

(fiction, hardback, as Lee Correy)
"Rocket Man", Henry Holt, 1955

(fiction, paperback, as G.Harry Stine)
Warbots, Pinnacle Science Fiction, May 1988
Warbots #2: Operation Steel Band, Pinnacle Science Fiction, July 1988
Warbots #3: The Bastaard Rebellion, Pinnacle Science Fiction, September 1988
Warbots #4 Sierra Madre, Pinnacle Science Fiction, November 1988
Warbots #5: Operation High Dragon, Pinnacle Science Fiction, January 1989
Warbots #6: The Lost Battalion, Pinnacle Science Fiction, April 1989
Warbots #7: Operation Iron Fist, Pinnacle Science Fiction, August 1990
Warbots #8: Force of Arms, Pinnacle Science Fiction, March 1990
Warbots #9: Blood Siege, Pinnacle Science Fiction, September 1990
Warbots #10: Guts and Glory, Pinnacle Science Fiction, June 1991
Warbots #11: Warrior Shield, Pinnacle Science Fiction, February 1992
Warbots #12: Judgement Day, Pinnacle Science Fiction, September 1992
Starsea Invaders: First Action, New American Library, August 1993
Starsea Invaders: Second Contact, New American Library, March 1994
Starsea Invaders: Third Encounter, New American Library, May 1995

(fact, paperback, as G. Harry Stine)
The Handbook of Model Rocketry,Follet Publishing, 1965
The Third Industrial Revolution, Ace Science Fiction, May 1979
The Space Enterprise, Ace Science, August 1980
Space Power, Ace Science, September 1981
The Silicon Gods, Dell, October 1984
Frontiers of Science: Strange Machines You Can Build Atheneum, 1985

(fact, cloth, as G. Harry Stine)
Handbook of Model Rocketry [4^th Ed.] , Follett Publishing, 1976 ISBN 0-695-80616-5
Halfway to Anywhere, M. Evans and Company, N.Y., 1996 ISBN 0-87131-805-9

References