G. Harry Stine

George Harry Stine (1928–1997) is widely regarded as the father of model rocketry. Although he did not invent the hobby – that distinction goes to Orville Carlisle – he popularized it and made it into an organized hobby. He founded the National Association of Rocketry, serving as its president for a time, and authored the authoritative text Handbook of Model Rocketry. He also helped found the first firm to sell model rocket kits to the public. In addition to the above mentioned handbook, Stine also prepared numerous other technical and science fiction publications.

He wrote science fiction under the name Lee Correy, which included a Star Trek novel called The Abode of Life and the original novel Shuttle Down. Under his own name, he was a regular science-fact columnist for Astounding and its later successor Analog, where his intriguing articles were in a position to influence two generations of budding scientists, social thinkers and film artists. Stine would also occasionally advise Rick Sternbach and Mike Okuda in their work for Star Trek: the Next Generation as technical artists and advisors, and was credited in Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual for that assistance.