Hal Clement
Hal Clement is the pen name of science fiction writer Harry Clement Stubbs. (1922- )
He first appeared in print with the story "Proof" in the June 1942 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.
His educational background includes a B.S. in astronomy from Harvard in 1943, M. Ed. (Boston University 1946), and M.S. in chemistry (Simmons College 1963). He served in the Army Air Corps Reserve, and retired with the rank of colonel.
Clement received the 1998 recognition as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA)
His best known novel, Mission of Gravity is the account of an overland expedition across the superjovian planet Mesklin to recover a crashed scientific probe. The natives of Mesklin are centipede-like intelligent beings about a meter in length. Various episodes hinge on the fact that Mesklin's fast rotational speed causes it to be considerably deformed from the spherical, and its effective surface gravity to vary from approximately 3 G at the equator to approximately 700 G at the poles.
He also paints astronomically-oriented artworks under the name George Richard.
Novels:
- Needle and its sequel Through the Eye of a Needle
- Mission of Gravity
- Iceworld
- Close to Critical
- Cycle of Fire
- Star Light (features characters previously seen in Mission of Gravity)
- Still River
- Fossil
- Half Life
- The Nitrogen Fix
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