On Nov. 29, 2016, the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation awarded NASA its Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes “an individual, a group or an entity that exemplifies the values and accomplishments of Sir Arthur’s life. The award honors substantial and enduring contributions that relate the sciences and arts in meeting the challenges of contemporary life and the needs of tomorrow.”
NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot (seen above) accepted the award on behalf of the agency.
“There’s an undeniable tie between NASA’s bold mission and Arthur C. Clarke’s audacious ideas,” said Lightfoot. “Clarke’s work and NASA’s accomplishments have run in parallel, from space stations to exploring other worlds. It’s our hope that, not too far in the future, our science and his fiction will intersect for the benefit of all humanity.”
The foundation lauded NASA for “confounding, amazing, and inspiring us since its formation,” and credited the agency for its consistent and imaginative leadership with its exploration of our universe and beyond, and its advances in understanding Earth’s environmental conditions.
delivers remarks after accepting the 2016 Arthur C. Clarke Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of NASA on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016 at the 1776 Building in Washington.