why I like old science fiction

From Arthur C. Clarke's Earthlight (1955), in an astronomical observatory on the Moon, 22nd century:
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Clarke and the unexpected

Something I've noticed lately: Many novels and stories by Arthur C. Clarke involve the interaction between people and grand events, often astronomical in nature, over which they have no control. Take this too far and you get stories in which the characters are passive bystanders who don't really do much, like in too many "Space: 1999" episodes. Clarke occasionally falls into that trap, especially in his later work (say, 2061, which had me wondering where the other half of the book went). But more often he strikes an interesting balance.

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