He lit the imagination of countless youngsters with tales of derring-do -- of submarines that explored the depths of the oceans, of adventurers who crept to the centre of the Earth, of doughty pioneers who travelled to the Moon.
More than a century after his death, Jules Verne is about to get a double recognition from the space community that he indirectly helped create through the inspiration of science fiction.
Some three months from now, Europe will launch a robot spacecraft, named after the French author, which is designed to resupply the International Space Station (ISS).
Aboard the craft will be two Verne manuscripts as well as a book that will be a cornerstone of the ISS library -- a beautiful illustrated double-edition of "From the Earth to the Moon" and "Around the Moon".
US and European astronauts were on hand last week at the Turin site of the Franco-Italian firm Thales Alenia Space to receive the precious objects, which -- if all goes well -- will be sent aloft in January when the supply ship makes its maiden flight atop an Ariane-5 rocket.
Protected by a plastic cover emblazoned with the label "do not unseal," the manuscripts, normally housed in a city library in Amiens, northern France, comprise a celestial map by Verne and a note on "distances in astronomy".
The latter document speaks tellingly of the romance and innocence of the 19th century, when the fastest form of transport was a steam locomotive.
"Earth to Moon (384,300 kms)," writes Verne (384,300 kms is 240,200 miles). "Going by foot = eight years, 282 days."
