Castalia House is pleased to report that the 2016 Robert A. Heinlein Memorial Award has been won by Dr. Jerry Pournelle:

This award is presented once every two years for lifetime achievement in promoting the goal of a free, spacefaring civilization. The winner is decided by the vote of the entire NSS membership, not by the awards committee. The award consists of a miniature signal cannon, on a mahogany base with a black granite inlay and a brass plaque as shown. The award concept came from Robert Heinlein’s classic book The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Some of the early award winners include Sir Arthur C. Clarke, Carl Sagan, Neil Armstrong and Elon Musk.

(The National Space Society has full details here. Read the whole thing!)

As John C. Wright noted that “if we ever get off this rock, it will be due to the tireless efforts of men like Heinlein and Pournelle,” so this is especially well deserved. Congratulations, Dr. Pournelle!

If you haven’t gotten them already, be sure to check out Dr. Pournelle’s landmark science fiction anthology series, There Will Be War. Six volumes are currently available on Amazon:

• There Will Be War Volume I
• There Will Be War Volume II
• There Will Be War Volume III
• There Will Be War Volume IV
• There Will Be War Volume IX
• There Will Be War Volume X