Jerry Pournelle (1933-2017) was the author of the popular Janissaries and CoDominium series and co-author with Larry Niven of several bestselling science fiction novels including INFERNO, FOOTFALL, LUCIFER'S HAMMER, OATH OF FEALTY, THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE, THE GRIPPING HAND, THE BURNING CITY, BURNING TOWER and ESCAPE FROM HELL. He collaborated with both Larry Niven and Steven Barnes on THE LEGACY OF HEOROT, BEOWULF’S CHILDREN, and other works. Dr. Pournelle has advanced degrees in engineering, political science, statistics and psychology. As an aerospace Systems Analyst he participated in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. Following a brief tour in academia he was the Executive Assistant to the Mayor of Los Angeles. He was the Science Editor for Galaxy Science Fiction Magazine, and is a past president of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He has written columns on political and technology issues for decades, in addition to his career as a fiction writer. His columns for Byte magazine have been an internet staple for many years. Dr. Pournelle has been involved in the development of government policy on space enterprises and defense, and he is active on several committees for the advancement of science and space exploration. He was Chairman of the Reagan "kitchen cabinet" Citizen's Advisory Committee on National Space Policy, and frequently participates in conferences on the future of technology.