Robert Heinlein:
Science Fiction Technology and Ideas
Robert Anson Heinlein was born in Missouri in 1907; he died in 1988. He entered the Naval Academy in 1925 and was commissioned in 1929; his career as a naval officer was cut short by ill health. He studied engineering and mathematics at UCLA.

Heinlein also wrote as Anson MacDonald and Lyle Monroe. He wrote his first short story (Lifeline) in 1939. He wrote many well-known novels (see below). He received the Nebula Grand Master award in 1975.

Invention/Technology Source Work (Publication Date)

Lunar Used Spacecraft Lot - low (gravity) prices
A sales lot for used spacecraft

Methuselah's Children (1941)

Lunocycle (Lunar Bicycle) - better than Bessie the mule
A bicycle specially adapted for lunar travel.

The Rolling Stones (1952)

Lyle Drive
Propulsion system for use inside the solar system.

Stranger in a Strange Land (1961)

Martian Perambulator
A mechanized transport for heavy gravity environments for beings born in lower gravity environments.

Between Planets (1951)

Mass-Conversion Ship
A spacecraft that uses the ultimate in fuel sources.

Farmer in the Sky (1950)

Mass-Driver Catapult - mass driver for the Moon
An escape-speed induction catapult to launch material into orbit.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966)

Maximum-security Booth - high security phone system
A special phone booth for receiving high-security, scrambled telephone calls, calls which included 3D visuals.

Double Star (1956)

Microwavable Food - pre-packaged ready to heat-n-eat
Food that is prepared specifically for use in a microwave (high-frequency) oven.

Space Cadet (1948)

Microwire
A very thin wire used for recording purposes.

Between Planets (1951)

Mike (Mycroft Holmes - Fair Dinkum Thinkum) - artificial intelligence early on
A large computer that woke up - an artificially intelligent, self-aware machine.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966)

Mind Control Genetically Modified Food - by little people
Plants that are modified to produce specific combinations of flavors.

Methuselah's Children (1941)

Molecule Matrix
Storing information in individual molecules and atoms.

Between Planets (1951)

Moon As Prison
The moon is a prison without bars.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966)

Moon Skis - ah the lunar powder
Special wide skis for travel on lunar powder.

Requiem (1940)

Moonquake-Proof Habitats - thanks to Robert Heinlein
Moonbases that are built to withstand quakes on the Moon.

Gentlemen, Be Seated (1948)

Movable Slideway - it comes to you
A slideway (moving sidewalk) that can be extended to a spaceship to ease the debarkation process.

Between Planets (1951)

Move an Asteroid
Using practical techniques to change the orbit of an asteroid or small moon.

Misfit (1939)

Neodog - smarter than Fido
Canine-derived animal, genetically engineered for increased intelligence and speech.

Starship Troopers (1959)

Neuristor
A solid-state computer component that mimics the human neuron.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (1966)

News Roundup - better than Tivo
A device that presents brief story outlines, any of which can be chosen to find details.

Beyond This Horizon (1942)

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