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He earned his doctorate from the University of Maryland in 1965, for the development of a bar antenna for the detection of gravitational radiation. He then went to work at Hughes Aircraft's research labs, where he continued his research on gravity measurement and received 18 patents. He took early retirement in 1987, to focus on his fiction writing and consulting for such clients as NASA and the US Air Force.
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 fountainThe Space Fountain concept is a form of space elevator that does not require the structure to be in geosynchronous orbit, and does not rely on tensile strength for support. In contrast to the more traditional space elevator design consisting of a cable whs, solar sailSolar sails (also called light sails especially when they use light sources other than the Sun) are a proposed form of spacecraft propulsion. The concept was first proposed by Friedrich Zander in the late 1920s and gradually refined over the decades.s (including StarwispStarwisp is a hypothetical unmanned interstellar probe design proposed by Robert L. It utilizes beam-powered propulsion in the form of a maser driving a solar sail. The Starwisp probe would consist of a mesh of extremely fine wires about a kilometer acros), antimatter propulsion, and other spacecraft propulsionStennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi Spacecraft propulsion is used to change the velocity of spacecraft and artificial satellites, or in short, to provide delta-v. There are many different methods. Each method has drawbacks and advantages, technologies, and did further research on more esoteric possibilities such as time travelTime travel is a concept that has long fascinated humanity whether it is Merlin experiencing time backwards, or religious traditions like Mohammed's trip to Jerusalem and ascent to heaven, returning before a glass knocked over had spilt its contents. and negative matter. In addition to over 200 papers and articles, he published 11 novels. He described his first novel, Dragon's Egg, as "A textbook on neutron star physics disguised as a novel."
His treatment of hard-science topics in fictional form is highly reminiscent of the work of Hal Clement.
Dr. Forward's son, also named Robert, has led a successful career as a storyboard artist and writer in television animation.