Frederick I. Ordway III

{{Short description|American space scientist}}

{{Use American English|date=May 2022}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022|cs1-dates=y}}

{{Infobox scientist

| name = Frederick I. Ordway III

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| birth_date = {{birth date|1927|04|04}}{{refn|name="hsvobit"|{{Cite news |date=2014-07-01 |title=Frederick I. Ordway III |language=en-US |work=The Huntsville Times |url=http://obits.al.com/obituaries/huntsville/obituary.aspx?pid=171572253 |url-status=live |access-date=2014-07-02 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220509232903/https://obits.al.com/us/obituaries/huntsville/name/frederick-ordway-obituary?id=9066614 |archive-date=2022-05-09}}}}

| birth_place = New York City

| death_date = {{death date and age|2014|07|01|1927|04|04}}

| death_place = Huntsville, Alabama

| field = Aerospace engineering

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| work_institutions = {{ubl|–1960 Army Ballistic Missile Agency|1960-1963 Marshall Space Flight Center space systems information|University of Alabama in Huntsville professor}}

| known_for = Space advocacy, Technical consultant to 2001: A Space Odyssey{{refn|name="retro1"|{{Cite conference |last=Ordway |first=Frederick I. |author-mask=4 |date=1982 |editor-last=Emme |editor-first=Eugene M. |editor-link=Eugene M. Emme |title=Science Fiction and Space Futures: Past and Present |chapter-url=http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0075.html |series=American Astronautical Society History Series |language=en-US |volume=5 |pages=47–105 |isbn=978-0-8770-3172-7 |ol=8110130M |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401102501/http://www.visual-memory.co.uk/amk/doc/0075.html |archive-date=2022-04-01 |access-date=2008-09-22 |chapter=2001: A Space Odyssey in Retrospect |url-status=live}}}}

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| spouse = Maria Victoria Ordway (1950-2012){{refn|name="alabama4"|{{Cite web |date=2012-02-28 |title=House Joint Resolution 161, Mourning the Death of Mrs. Maria Victoria Ordway |url=http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/searchableinstruments/2012rs/PrintFiles/HJR161-enr.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714190105/http://alisondb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/searchableinstruments/2012rs/PrintFiles/HJR161-enr.pdf |archive-date=2014-07-14 |access-date=2014-07-02 |website=Alabama House of Representatives}}}}

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Frederick Ira Ordway III (4 April 1927{{thinsp|–}}1 July 2014) was an American space scientist and author of books on spaceflight.

Ordway was educated at Harvard University and completed several years of graduate study at the University of Paris and other universities in Europe. He owned a large collection of original paintings depicting astronautical themes. He was a member of many leading professional societies and was the author, co-author, or editor of more than thirty books and over three hundred articles.{{refn|name="nss3"|{{Cite web |title=Frederick I. Ordway III: 1927–2014 |url=http://www.nss.org/about/bios/ordway.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712004852/http://www.nss.org/about/bios/ordway.html |archive-date=2015-07-12 |access-date=2014-07-01 |website=National Space Society |language=en-US}}}}

As scientific consultant, he was part of the production team of 2001: A Space Odyssey.{{refn|name="whnt140701"|{{Cite news |last=Galloway |first=Drew |date=2014-07-01 |title=Space pioneer & author Fred Ordway dies at 87 |language=en-US |work=WHNT-TV |location=Huntsville, Alabama |url=http://whnt.com/2014/07/01/space-pioneer-author-fred-ordway-dies-at-87/ |url-status=live |access-date=2014-07-01 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20220510002753/https://whnt.com/news/huntsville/space-pioneer-author-fred-ordway-dies-at-87/ |archive-date=2022-05-10}}}}{{refn|name="hvtm140701"|{{Cite news |last=Huggins |first=Paul |date=2014-07-01 |title=Fred Ordway, technical adviser for '2001: A Space Odyssey', von Braun associate dies at Huntsville home |language=en-US |work=The Huntsville Times |url=http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2014/07/fred_ordway_technical_advisor.html |url-status=live |access-date=2014-07-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028130448/https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2014/07/fred_ordway_technical_advisor.html |archive-date=2021-10-28}}}}

At the time of his death, he was the longest-serving member of the American Rocket Society having joined in 1939, some 75 years earlier.{{r|whnt140701}}{{refn|name="Harvard2"|{{Cite web |date=2006-10-12 |title=Ordway Collection Reflects Life Working Toward Space Exploration |url=http://hcl.harvard.edu/news/articles/2006/ordway_collection.cfm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121211144057/http://hcl.harvard.edu/news/articles/2006/ordway_collection.cfm |archive-date=2012-12-11 |access-date=2008-10-13 |website=Harvard College Library News |publisher=President and Fellows of Harvard College |language=en-US}}}} Ordway served as a member of the faculty at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) from 1970 to 1973, and he was awarded an honorary doctorate by UAH in 1992.