Science Fiction Writers can also be good scientists

In talking about L. Taylor Hansen yesterday, I implied that since she made her living writing science fiction, her He Walked the Americas must be fiction as well. The book is about a white-skinned, bearded man, Christ-like, who traveled throughout North America educating the people before the arrival of the Europeans. In Maya legend, he was called Itzamna.

Yes, I know that Itzamna is a god of the Maya. But, did L. Taylor Hansen merely taken known legends, such as that of Itzamna, and merely fabricate fictionary tales of serpent boats, lightning bolt carvings, and granite handprints.

Because she was a science fiction writer did it mean that all her writing was fiction?

Not necessarily so. Overnight, I thought of Sir Arthur C. Clarke who, as scientist, was first to conceive of a system of satellites in geostationary orbits that could be used for communication as well as weather reporting and prediction.

Arthur C. Clark was also a prolific science fiction writer who wrote the screenplay of the magnificent 2001: A Space Odyssey.