inspired by sci-fi

During the bubbly interviews before the launch of OSIRIS-REx, I was particularly intrigued by the one with Dr Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona. They started off referencing the 50th anniversary of Star Trek. The announcer asked if had been influenced by science fiction. Of course he had. And then he proceeded to rhyme off names: H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury. Classics! He was a big fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I enjoyed that bit a lot. It flickered through my mind at the moment: how many space geeks, astronauts, technicians, scientists, etc. are influenced by SF? Presumably, there's a bunch. Presumably, it was more than just a job for these people. Making science fiction science fact.