Robert Lull Forward (August 15, 1932 – September 21, 2002) was an American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

and

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

writer. His literary work was noted for its scientific credibility and use of ideas developed from his career as an

aerospace engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...

. He also made important contributions to

gravitational wave Gravitational waves are waves of the intensity of gravity generated by the accelerated masses of an orbital binary system that propagate as waves outward from their source at the speed of light. They were first proposed by Oliver Heaviside in 1 ...

detection research.

Biography

Forward earned his doctorate from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

in 1965, with a thesis entitled ''Detectors for Dynamic Gravitational Fields'', for the development of a bar antenna for the detection of gravitational radiation.

Career and research

He then went to work at the research labs of

Hughes Aircraft The Hughes Aircraft Company was a major American aerospace and defense contractor founded on February 14, 1934 by Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting p ...

, where he continued his research on gravity measurement and received 18

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

s. He took early retirement in 1987, to focus on his fiction writing and consulting for such clients as

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

and the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

. In 1994, he co-founded the company Tethers Unlimited, Inc. with Robert 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 as space tethers and

space fountain A space fountain is a proposed form of an extremely tall tower extending into space. As known materials cannot support a static tower with this height, a space fountain has to be an active structure: A stream of pellets is accelerated upwards f ...

s, solar sails (including

Starwisp Starwisp is a hypothetical unmanned interstellar probe design proposed by the late Robert L. Forward. It is propelled by a microwave sail, similar to a solar sail in concept, but powered by microwaves from a human-made source. It would fly through ...

antimatter propulsion An antimatter rocket is a proposed class of rockets that use antimatter as their power source. There are several designs that attempt to accomplish this goal. The advantage to this class of rocket is that a large fraction of the rest mass of a ...

, and other

spacecraft propulsion Spacecraft propulsion is any method used to accelerate spacecraft and artificial satellites. In-space propulsion exclusively deals with propulsion systems used in the vacuum of space and should not be confused with space launch or atmospheric e ...

technologies, and did further research on more esoteric possibilities such as

time travel Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...

and

negative matter There are several proposed types of exotic matter: * Hypothetical particles and states of matter that have "exotic" physical properties that would violate known laws of physics, such as a particle having a negative mass. * Hypothetical parti ...

. He was issued a patent for the

statite A statite (from the words ''static'' and ''satellite'') is a hypothetical type of artificial satellite that employs a solar sail to continuously modify its orbit in ways that gravity alone would not allow. Typically, a statite would use the solar sa ...

, and contributed to a concept to drain the Van Allen Belts.

Forward Mass Detector

Forward's extensive work in the field of

detection included the invention of the rotating cruciform gravity gradiometer or 'Forward Mass Detector', for Lunar

Mascon In astronomy, astrophysics and geophysics, a mass concentration (or mascon) is a region of a planet's or moon's crust that contains a large positive gravity anomaly. In general, the word "mascon" can be used as a noun to refer to an excess dist ...

(mass concentration) measurements. The gravity gradiometer is described in the well-known textbook ''

Gravitation In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stron ...

'' 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.

Vacuum Fluctuation Battery

In 1984, Forward published his theoretical design for a "Casimir battery", utilizing the electromagnetic

Zero-point energy Zero-point energy (ZPE) is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical system may have. Unlike in classical mechanics, quantum systems constantly fluctuate in their lowest energy state as described by the Heisenberg uncertainty pri ...

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.

Fiction

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. His treatment of hard-science topics in fictional form is highly reminiscent of the work of

Hal Clement Harry Clement Stubbs (May 30, 1922 – October 29, 2003), better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre. He also painted astronomically oriented artworks under ...

. He described his first novel, ''

Dragon's Egg ''Dragon's Egg'' is a 1980 hard science fiction novel by American writer Robert L. Forward. In the story, Dragon's Egg is a neutron star with a surface gravity 67 billion times that of Earth, and inhabited by cheela, intelligent creatures ...

'', as "a textbook on neutron star physics disguised as a novel." His novel ''

Rocheworld ''Rocheworld'' (first published in serial form in 1982; first book publication, under the title ''The Flight of the Dragonfly'', 1984)Internet science fiction database entryThe Flight of the Dragonfly/ref> is a science fiction novel by Robert Fo ...

'' describes a double-planet system with a single shared atmosphere and ocean, and a

beam-powered propulsion Beam-powered propulsion, also known as directed energy propulsion, is a class of aircraft or spacecraft propulsion that uses energy beamed to the spacecraft from a remote power plant to provide energy. The beam is typically either a microwave or a ...

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 helped

Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are ''Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, ''The Mote in God's Eye'' ...

calculate the parameters of the Smoke Ring for his novel ''

The Integral Trees ''The Integral Trees'' is a 1984 science fiction novel by American writer Larry Niven (first published as a serial in ''Analog'' in 1983). Like much of Niven's work, the story is heavily influenced by the setting: a gas torus, a ring of air arou ...

''. Much of his scientific research in speculative physics serves as inspiration for science fiction, many of his ideas on

Interstellar travel Interstellar travel is the hypothetical travel of spacecraft from one star system, solitary star, or planetary system to another. Interstellar travel is expected to prove much more difficult than interplanetary spaceflight due to the vast diffe ...

and propulsion can be found in contemporary and modern scientific fiction.

Personal life

Forward's son,

Bob Forward Bob Forward (born 1958) is an American writer, producer, and director. Forward is the production director and president of his independent company, Detonation Films. Forward has been the writer of many animated television series, as well as a f ...

, has led a successful career as a storyboard artist and writer in television animation, including in ''

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's toy line ''Masters of the Universe''. The show, often referred to as simply ''He-Man'', was one of the most popular anima ...

'', ''

The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...

'', and most famously, ''

Beast Wars Beast most often refers to: * Non-human animal * Monster Beast or Beasts may also refer to: Bible * Beast (Revelation), two beasts described in the Book of Revelation Computing and gaming * Beast (card game), English name of historical Fren ...

''. He is also the author of two novels, ''The Owl'' and ''The Owl 2: Scarlet Serenade.'' Forward's youngest, Eve Forward, has written two novels: ''

Villains by Necessity ''Villains by Necessity'' is a fantasy novel written by Eve Forward. Synopsis Over a century after the ultimate triumph of good over evil, the world's last assassin and the world's last thief discover from a druid that, without more evil, the wo ...

'' and ''Animist''.

Death

In 2001, Forward received a diagnosis of terminal cancer. He died on September 21, 2002.

Publications

Selected scientific works

* * * * * *

Dragon's Egg series

# ''

'' (1980) # '' Starquake'' (1985) Both collected in an omnibus edition ''Dragon's Egg & Starquake'' (1994)

Rocheworld series

:1. ''

'' (

Baen Baen Books () is an American publishing house for science fiction and fantasy. In science fiction, it emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction. The company was established in 1983 by science fiction publisher ...

, 1990) 155,000 words, originally published in these iterations: :: ''Rocheworld'' (1981) original manuscript, 150,000 words :: ''Rocheworld'' (''

Analog Analog or analogue may refer to: Computing and electronics * Analog signal, in which information is encoded in a continuous variable ** Analog device, an apparatus that operates on analog signals *** Analog electronics, circuits which use analog ...

'', 1982) 60,000 words :: ''The Flight of the Dragonfly'' (

Timescape ''Timescape'' is a 1980 science fiction novel by American writer Gregory Benford (with unbilled co-author Hilary Foister, Benford's sister-in-law, who is credited as having "contributed significantly to the manuscript"). It won the 1981 Nebula an ...

, 1984) hardcover, ~100,000 words :: ''The Flight of the Dragonfly'' (Baen, 1985) paperback, 110,000 words :2. '' Return to Rocheworld'' (1993) with Julie Forward Fuller :3. '' Marooned on Eden'' (1993) with Martha Dodson ForwardBaen Books mistakenly put "Margaret Dodson Forward" instead of "Martha Dodson Forward" on the cover of the book. The title page in the book has her name correctly as "Martha". :4. '' Ocean Under the Ice'' (1994) with Martha Dodson Forward :5. '' Rescued from Paradise'' (1995) with Julie Forward Fuller

Novels

* '' Martian Rainbow'' (1991) * ''

Timemaster ''Timemaster'' is a role-playing game centered on traveling through time and alternate dimensions, written by Mark D. Acres, Andria Hayday and Carl Smith (game designer) and published by Pacesetter Ltd in 1984. Players take on the role of Ti ...

'' (1992) * ''

Camelot 30K ''Camelot 30K'' is a hard science fiction novel written by the United States physicist Robert L. Forward. It was published in 1993 by Tor Books. The story mainly deals with the concept of human contact and interaction with a kingdom of intelligen ...

'' (1993) * ''

Saturn Rukh ''Saturn Rukh'' is a hard science fiction novel written by the United States physicist Robert L. Forward. It was first published in hardcover in March 1997 (and later in paperback in 1998) by Tor Books. ''Saturn Rukh'' is themed around human c ...

'' (1997)

Collection (contains both fiction and essays)

* '' Indistinguishable from Magic'' (1995)

Non-fiction

* '' Mirror Matter: Pioneering Antimatter Physics'' (1988) with Joel Davis * '' Future Magic'' (1988) This book discusses possible future applications of

Skyhooks Skyhook, sky hook or skyhooks may refer to: Fiction * 'Skyhooks' or 'Skyhooks II', parts 1 and 8 respectively of the Adventure Time Elements (miniseries), Elements miniseries. * ''Sky Hook'', a Hugo-award nominated science fiction fanzine * Sk ...

and

orbital ring An orbital ring is a concept of an artificial ring placed around a body and set rotating at such a rate that the apparent centrifugal force is large enough to counteract the force of gravity. For the Earth, the required speed is on the order of 1 ...

s amongst other technologies, including a plan by

for a potential flying saucer. Forward also wrote man
articles in scientific journals
and filed man

mainly while working for

Explanatory notes

References

"A Program for Interstellar Exploration"
by Robert L. Forward, ''Journal of the British Interplanetary Society'', Volume 29, pp. 611–632, 1976.

External links

Robert L. Forward Collection, The University of Alabama in Huntsville Archives and Special CollectionsBibliography
at SciFan
Extracting electrical energy from the vacuum by cohesion of charged foliated conductors
One of Forward's most well known papers discussing the Casimir effect and zero-point energy (hosted at th
Calphysics
website) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forward, Robert L. 1932 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American physicists American science fiction writers University of Maryland, College Park alumni Place of birth missing 20th-century American male writers People from Geneva, New York