Jerry Pournelle (1933–2017)
Jerry Pournelle was a prolific and influential American science fiction author, essayist, and journalist known for his "hard science fiction" style and his expertise in military science and space technology. He often collaborated with other authors, most notably Larry Niven, on best-selling novels that explored themes of survival, human ingenuity, and the challenges of interstellar travel and first contact. Beyond his fiction, Pournelle was also a significant figure in early personal computing, publishing a long-running column "Failsafe" and "Chaos Manor" that offered practical advice and…