Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
The Outer Space Treaty forbids any nation or organization of Earth from claiming territory in space. Space is for everyone, yo. (Source.)
The Clarke asteroid refers to famous sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke. He first conceived of a space elevator in his novel The Fountains of Paradise, so the asteroid seems to be a shout-out to Clarke from Robinson. (Source.)
A Clarke orbit is not a Robinson invention, but an actual geosynchronous orbit. It is so named because Clarke—the very same Arthur C. Clarke—was the first man to realize this orbit's potential for communication satellites. (Source.)
Senzeni Na isn't just the name of a fictional settlement on Mars; it's also the name of a South African protest song. The title translates from Zulu to "What have we done?" The song originated during the days of South Africa's Apartheid government, an era infamous for police brutality, racial discrimination, economic disparity, and political trickery. (Source.)