Editing Robert A. Heinlein (section)

==Life ==
[[File:RAH 1929 Yearbook.png|thumb|upright|[[Midshipman]] Heinlein, from the 1929 [[United States Naval Academy|U.S. Naval Academy]] [[yearbook]]]]

===Birth, childhood, and early education===
Heinlein, born on July 7, 1907, to Rex Ivar Heinlein (an accountant) and Bam Lyle Heinlein, in [[Butler, Missouri]], was the third of seven children. He was a sixth-generation [[German-American]]; a family tradition had it that Heinleins fought in every American war, starting with the [[American Revolutionary War|War of Independence]].<ref>{{cite book |title= Robert A. Heinlein: 1907–1948, learning curve| last=Patterson |first=William |year= 2010 |publisher= Tom Doherty Associates |location= New York |isbn= 978-0-7653-1960-9 |chapter= Appendix 2|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Z93OvsN2yq8C&q=heinlein+cronkite&pg=PA13|access-date= June 29, 2014}}</ref>

He spent his childhood in [[Kansas City, Missouri]].<ref name="aolbio">{{cite journal | author= William H. Patterson Jr. |title= Robert A. Heinlein, a Biographical Sketch |journal= The Heinlein Journal |year= 1999 |volume= 1999 |issue= 5 |pages= 7–36 |url= http://members.aol.com/agplusone/robert_a._heinlein_a_biogr.htm |access-date= March 21, 2008 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080321234910/http://members.aol.com/agplusone/robert_a._heinlein_a_biogr.htm |archive-date= March 21, 2008 |df= mdy-all }} Also available at. Retrieved July 6, 2007.</ref> The outlook and values of this time and place (in his own words, "The [[Bible Belt]]") had an influence on his fiction, especially in his later works, as he drew heavily upon his childhood in establishing the setting and cultural atmosphere in works like ''[[Time Enough for Love]]'' and ''[[To Sail Beyond the Sunset]]''.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}} The 1910 appearance of [[Halley's Comet]] inspired the young child's life-long interest in astronomy.<ref>{{cite book|title=Sci-fi Literature Genius Guide|chapter=3|publisher=Imagine Publishing| date=June 14, 2012|isbn= 9781908222183}}</ref>

In January 1924, the sixteen year old Heinlein lied about his age to enlist in Company C, [[110th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade|110th Engineer Regiment]], of the [[Missouri National Guard]], in Kansas City. His family could not afford to send Heinlein to college, so he sought an appointment to a military academy.{{r|suplee19840905}} When Heinlein graduated from [[Kansas City Central High School]] in 1924, he was initially prevented from attending the [[United States Naval Academy]] at Annapolis because his older brother Rex was a student there, and at the time, regulations discouraged multiple family members from attending the academy simultaneously.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} He instead matriculated at [[Kansas City Community College]] and began vigorously petitioning Missouri Senator [[James A. Reed (politician)|James A. Reed]] for an appointment to the Naval Academy. In part due to the influence of the [[Pendergast machine]], the Naval Academy admitted him in June 1925.<ref name="mises1">{{cite web
|url=https://mises.org/library/was-robert-heinlein-libertarian
|title=Was Robert A. Heinlein a Libertarian?
|date=May 18, 2010
|publisher=Mises Institute
|access-date=May 5, 2017
|archive-date=December 11, 2019
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211005829/https://mises.org/library/was-robert-heinlein-libertarian
|url-status=live
}}</ref> Heinlein received his discharge from the Missouri National Guard as a staff sergeant. Reed later told Heinlein that he had received 100 letters of recommendation for nomination to the Naval Academy, 50 for other candidates and 50 for Heinlein.<ref name="suplee19840905">{{Cite news |last=Suplee |first=Curt |date=September 5, 1984 |title=In the Strange Land Of Robert Heinlein |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1984/09/05/in-the-strange-land-of-robert-heinlein/b7a2ee22-0a6e-4c29-8fc1-88b3e68ec08c/ |access-date=July 29, 2021 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

===Navy===
Heinlein's experience in the [[U.S. Navy]] exerted a strong influence on his character and writing. In 1929, he graduated from the Naval Academy with the equivalent of a [[bachelor of arts]] in engineering.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/luckybag1929unse | title=The Lucky Bag of Nineteen Twenty Nine, The Annual of the Regiment of Midshipmen, Published at The United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, by The Class of 1929 | editor-last=Keatley | editor-first=J.H. | publisher=The Dubois Press | publication-place=Rochester, NY | location=Annapolis, MD | page=319 }}</ref> (At that time, the Academy did not confer degrees.) He ranked fifth in his class academically but with a class standing of 20th of 243 due to disciplinary demerits. The U.S. Navy commissioned him as an ensign shortly after his graduation. He advanced to lieutenant junior grade in 1931 while serving aboard the new [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Lexington|CV-2|6}}, where he worked in [[radio communications]]—a technology then still in its earlier stages. The [[captain]] of this carrier, [[Ernest J. King]], later served as the [[Chief of Naval Operations]] and [[Commander in Chief, U.S. Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleet]] during [[World War II]]. Military historians frequently{{quantify|date=September 2021}} interviewed Heinlein during his later years and asked him about Captain King and his service as the commander of the U.S. Navy's first modern aircraft carrier. Heinlein also served as gunnery officer aboard the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Roper|DD-147|6}} in 1933 and 1934, reaching the rank of lieutenant.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt596nd35k/entire_text/|title= Robert A. and Virginia G. Heinlein Papers|website=Online Archive of California |access-date=February 26, 2019|archive-date=April 25, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190425055834/https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt596nd35k/entire_text/|url-status= live}}</ref> His brother, Lawrence Heinlein, served in the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, and the [[Missouri National Guard]], reaching the rank of [[major general (United States)|major general]] in the National Guard.<ref>
[http://www2.ku.edu/~sfcenter/Gunn-GrandMaster-remarks.htm James Gunn, "Grand Master Award Remarks"] {{Webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110929035817/http://www2.ku.edu/~sfcenter/Gunn-GrandMaster-remarks.htm |date=September 29, 2011 }}; [https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1908&dat=19660627&id=uUgrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ktQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3796,2847290 "Credit Col. Earp and Gen. Heinlein with the Reactivation of Nevada's Camp Clark", ''The Nevada Daily Mail'', June 27, 1966].
</ref>

===Marriages===
In 1929, Heinlein married Elinor Curry of Kansas City.<ref>"Social Affairs of the Army and Navy", ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''; September 1, 1929; p. B8.</ref> However, their marriage lasted only about one year.<ref name="hine-line_soc"/> His second marriage, to Leslyn MacDonald (1904–1981) in 1932, lasted 15 years. MacDonald was, according to the testimony of Heinlein's Navy friend, [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Cal Laning]], "astonishingly intelligent, widely read, and extremely liberal, though a registered [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]",<ref>Patterson, William H. ''Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century, Vol. 1—Learning Curve (1907–1948)'', Tor Books, August 2010, {{ISBN|978-0-7653-1960-9}}</ref> while Isaac Asimov later recalled that Heinlein was, at the time, "a flaming [[Liberalism in the United States|liberal]]".<ref name=autogenerated1>Isaac Asimov, ''I, Asimov''.</ref> ''(See section: [[#Politics|Politics of Robert Heinlein]].)''

[[File:heinleins-house.jpg|thumb|Virginia and Robert Heinlein in a 1952 ''Popular Mechanics'' article, titled "A House to Make Life Easy". The Heinleins, both engineers, designed the house for themselves with many innovative features.]]

At the [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]], Heinlein met and befriended a [[chemical engineer]] named [[Virginia Heinlein|Virginia "Ginny" Gerstenfeld]]. After the war, her engagement having fallen through, she attended [[UCLA]] for doctoral studies in [[chemistry]], and while there reconnected with Heinlein. As his second wife's [[alcoholism]] gradually spun out of control,<ref>{{cite book |title= Robert A. Heinlein: 1907–1948, learning curve| last=Patterson |first=William |year= 2010 |publisher= Tom Doherty Associates |location= New York |isbn= 978-0-7653-1960-9 |chapter= Chapter 27|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Z93OvsN2yq8C&q=heinlein+cronkite&pg=PA13 |access-date= April 12, 2011}}</ref> Heinlein moved out and the couple filed for divorce. Heinlein's friendship with Virginia turned into a relationship and on October 21, 1948—shortly after the [[decree nisi]] came through—they married in the town of [[Raton, New Mexico]]. Soon thereafter, they set up housekeeping in the Broadmoor district of [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]], in a house that Heinlein and his wife designed. As the area was newly developed, they were allowed to choose their own house number, 1776 Mesa Avenue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2011/05/31/colorado-voices-the-festival-of-history/|title=Colorado Voices: The festival of history|date=May 31, 2011|access-date=October 1, 2020|archive-date=December 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202162531/https://www.denverpost.com/2011/05/31/colorado-voices-the-festival-of-history/|url-status=live}}</ref> The design of the house was featured in ''[[Popular Mechanics]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nitrosyncretic.com/rah/pm652-art-hi.html|title=site: Robert A. Heinlein - Archives - PM 6/52 Article|website=www.nitrosyncretic.com|access-date=October 1, 2020|archive-date=October 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013112938/http://www.nitrosyncretic.com/rah/pm652-art-hi.html|url-status=live}}</ref> They remained married until Heinlein's death. In 1965, after various chronic health problems of Virginia's were traced back to [[altitude sickness]], they moved to [[Santa Cruz, California]], which is at [[sea level]]. Robert and Virginia designed and built a new residence, circular in shape, in the adjacent village of [[Bonny Doon, California|Bonny Doon]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/history/bonnydoon1.html | title=Heinlein Society Photo Tour of Bonny Doon | access-date=April 15, 2020 | archive-date=August 6, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806161550/https://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/history/bonnydoon1.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Heinlein, Robert A. ''[[Grumbles from the Grave]]'', ch. VII.  1989.</ref>

[[File:Heinlein Tahiti 2.jpg|thumb|left|Robert and Virginia Heinlein in [[Tahiti]], 1980]]

Ginny undoubtedly served as a model for many of his intelligent, fiercely independent female characters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/works/articles/heinleinswomendeb.html |title=''The Rolling Stone'' |publisher=Heinleinsociety.org |date=May 24, 2003 |access-date=May 16, 2012 |archive-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218062457/http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/works/articles/heinleinswomendeb.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/works/articles/heinleinswomengeo.html |title=Heinlein's Women, by G. E. Rule |publisher=Heinleinsociety.org |date=May 24, 2003 |access-date=May 16, 2012 |archive-date=August 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802004444/http://www.heinleinsociety.org/rah/works/articles/heinleinswomengeo.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>  She was a chemist and [[rocket engineering|rocket test engineer]], and held a higher rank in the Navy than Heinlein himself. She was also an accomplished college athlete, earning four [[varsity letter]]s.<ref name = virginia/> In 1953–1954, the Heinleins voyaged around the world (mostly via [[ocean liner]]s and [[cargo liner]]s, as Ginny detested flying), which Heinlein described in ''[[Tramp Royale]].'' The trip provided background material for science fiction novels set aboard spaceships on long voyages, such as ''[[Podkayne of Mars]]'', ''[[Friday (novel)|Friday]]'' and ''[[Job: A Comedy of Justice]]'', the latter initially being set on a cruise much as detailed in ''Tramp Royale''. Ginny acted as the first reader of his [[manuscript]]s. Isaac Asimov believed that Heinlein made a swing to the [[right-wing politics|right]] politically at the same time he married Ginny.

===California===
In 1934, Heinlein was discharged from the Navy, owing to [[pulmonary tuberculosis]]. During a lengthy hospitalization, and inspired by his own experience while bed-ridden, he developed a design for a [[waterbed]].<ref name="Expanded Universe">''Expanded Universe''</ref>

After his discharge, Heinlein attended a few weeks of graduate classes in [[mathematics]] and [[physics]] at the [[University of California, Los Angeles]] (UCLA), but he soon quit, either because of his ill-health or because of a desire to enter politics.<ref>Afterword to ''[[For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs]]'', 2004 edition, p. 245.</ref>

Heinlein supported himself at several occupations, including [[real estate agent|real estate sales]] and [[mining|silver mining]], but for some years found money in short supply. Heinlein was active in [[Upton Sinclair]]'s socialist [[End Poverty in California movement]] (EPIC) in the early 1930s. He was deputy publisher of the ''EPIC News'', which Heinlein noted "recalled a mayor, kicked out a district attorney, replaced the governor with one of our choice."<ref>{{cite book |title=Off the Main Sequence | author=Robert A. Heinlein |date=2005 |publisher=Science Fiction Book Club |isbn=1-58288-184-7 |page=xiii |section=Foreword by Michael Cassutt}}</ref> When Sinclair gained the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nomination for [[Governor of California]] in 1934, Heinlein worked actively in the campaign. Heinlein himself ran for the [[California State Assembly]] in 1938, but was unsuccessful. Heinlein was running as a left-wing Democrat in a conservative district, and he never made it past the Democratic primary.<ref>(afterword to ''For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs'', 2004 edition, p. 247, and the story "[[A Bathroom of Her Own]]"). Also, an unfortunate juxtaposition of events had a [[Konrad Henlein]] making headlines in the [[Sudetenland]]s.</ref>

===Author===
[[File:Heinlein-decamp-and-asimov.jpg|thumb|left|Robert A. Heinlein, [[L. Sprague de Camp]], and [[Isaac Asimov]], [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard|Philadelphia Navy Yard]], 1944]]

While not destitute after the campaign—he had a small disability pension from the Navy—Heinlein turned to writing to pay off his mortgage. His first published story, "[[Life-Line]]", was printed in the August 1939 issue of ''[[Astounding Science Fiction]]''.<ref name="isfdb ..." /> Originally written for a contest, it sold to ''Astounding'' for significantly more than the contest's first-prize payoff. Another [[Future History (Heinlein)|Future History]] story, "Misfit", followed in November.<ref name="isfdb ..." /> Some saw Heinlein's talent and stardom from his first story,<ref name="earlyyears79_82">{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/stream/earlyasimovorele00asim#page/78/mode/2up |title=The early Asimov; or, Eleven years of trying |last=Asimov |first=Isaac |publisher=Doubleday |year=1972 |location=Garden City NY |pages=79–82}}</ref> and he was quickly acknowledged as a leader of the new movement toward [[social science fiction|"social" science fiction]]. In California he hosted the [[Mañana Literary Society]], a 1940–41 series of informal gatherings of new authors.<ref>Williamson, Jack "Who Was Robert Heinlein?" in ''Requiem: new collected works by Robert A. Heinlein and tributes to the grand master'' NY 1992 pp. 333–34 {{ISBN|0-312-85523-0}}</ref> He was the guest of honor at Denvention, the 1941 [[Worldcon]], held in Denver. During [[World War II]], Heinlein was employed by the Navy as a civilian aeronautical engineer at the Navy Aircraft Materials Center at the [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]] in [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Patterson | first = William | title = The Martian named Smith : critical perspectives on Robert A. Heinlein's Stranger in a strange land | publisher = Nitrosyncretic Press | location = Sacramento, Calif | year = 2001 | isbn = 0967987423 }}</ref> Heinlein recruited [[Isaac Asimov]] and [[L. Sprague de Camp]] to also work there.<ref name="Expanded Universe"/> While at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyards, Asimov, Heinlein, and de Camp brainstormed unconventional approaches to kamikaze attacks, such as using sound to detect approaching planes.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Latham|first=Rob|title=Beyond pulp: trailblazers of science fiction's golden age.|journal=Nature|date= October 10, 2018|volume=562|issue=7726|pages=189–190|doi=10.1038/d41586-018-06943-8|bibcode=2018Natur.562..189L|doi-access=free}}</ref>

As the war wound down in 1945, Heinlein began to re-evaluate his career. The [[atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki]], along with the outbreak of the [[Cold War]], galvanized him to write nonfiction on political topics. In addition, he wanted to break into better-paying markets. He published four influential [[short story|short stories]] for ''The Saturday Evening Post'' magazine, leading off, in February 1947, with "[[The Green Hills of Earth]]". That made him the first science fiction writer to break out of the "[[Pulp magazine|pulp ghetto]]". In 1950, the movie ''[[Destination Moon (film)|Destination Moon]]''—the documentary-like film for which he had written the story and scenario, co-written the script, and invented many of the effects—won an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[special effect]]s. 

Heinlein created SF stories with social commentary about relationships. In ''The Puppet Masters'', a 1951 alien invasion novel, the point of view character Sam persuades fellow operative Mary to marry him. When they go to the county clerk, they are offered a variety of marriage possibilities; “Term, renewable or lifetime”, as short as six months or as long as forever.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Olson |first=Glen W. |date=January 1, 2024 |title=Heinlein's Influence on Dating and Marriage Patterns in America, a Perspective |url=https://www.heinleinsociety.org/heinlein-journal/ |website=The Heinlein Journal}}</ref>

Also, he embarked on a series of [[young adult literature|juvenile novels]] for the [[Charles Scribner's Sons]] publishing company that went from 1947 through 1959, at the rate of one book each autumn, in time for [[Christmas]] presents to teenagers. He also wrote for ''[[Boys' Life]]'' in 1952.

Heinlein used topical materials throughout his [[Heinlein juveniles|juvenile series]] beginning in 1947, but in 1958 he interrupted work on ''The Heretic'' (the working title of ''[[Stranger in a Strange Land]]'') to write and publish a book exploring ideas of civic virtue, initially serialized as ''Starship Soldiers''. In 1959, his novel (now entitled ''[[Starship Troopers]]'') was considered by the editors and owners of Scribner's to be too controversial for one of its prestige lines, and it was rejected.<ref>{{cite web|last=Causo |first=Roberto de Sousa |url=http://www.wegrokit.com/causost.htm |title=Citizenship at War |access-date=March 4, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060315171915/http://www.wegrokit.com/causost.htm |archive-date=March 15, 2006 }}</ref> Heinlein found another publisher ([[G. P. Putnam's Sons|Putnam]]), feeling himself released from the constraints of writing novels for children. He had told an interviewer that he did not want to do stories that merely added to categories defined by other works. Rather he wanted to do his own work, stating that: "I want to do my own stuff, my own way".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQPHAgAAQBAJ|title=Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 2, 1948–1988 The Man Who Learned Better|last=Patterson|first=William H. Jr.|date=June 3, 2014|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-1-4299-8796-7|page=207|language=en|access-date=August 28, 2016|archive-date=January 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101172143/https://books.google.com/books?id=MQPHAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> He would go on to write a series of challenging books that redrew the boundaries of science fiction, including ''Stranger in a Strange Land'' (1961) and ''[[The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress]]'' (1966).

===Later life and death===
Beginning in 1970, Heinlein had a series of health crises, broken by strenuous periods of activity in his hobby of [[stonemasonry]]: in a private correspondence, he referred to that as his "usual and favorite occupation between books".<ref>Virginia Heinlein to Michael A. Banks, 1988</ref> The decade began with a life-threatening attack of [[peritonitis]], recovery from which required more than two years, and treatment of which required multiple transfusions of Heinlein's [[Human blood group systems|rare blood type, A2 negative]].<!-- *not* "AB negative"-->{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} As soon as he was well enough to write again, he began work on ''[[Time Enough for Love]]'' (1973), which introduced many of the themes found in his later fiction.

In the mid-1970s, Heinlein wrote two articles for the ''[[Britannica]] Compton Yearbook''.<ref>On Paul Dirac and antimatter, and on blood chemistry. A version of the former, titled ''Paul Dirac, Antimatter, and You'', was published in the anthology ''[[Expanded Universe (Heinlein)|Expanded Universe]]'', and it demonstrates both Heinlein's skill as a popularizer and his lack of depth in physics. An afterword gives a normalization equation and presents it, incorrectly, as being the [[Dirac equation]].</ref> He and Ginny crisscrossed the country helping to reorganize [[blood donation]] in the United States in an effort to assist the system which had saved his life.{{citation needed|date=October 2021}} At science fiction conventions to receive his autograph, fans would be asked to co-sign with Heinlein a beautifully embellished pledge form he supplied stating that the recipient agrees that they will [[Blood donation|donate blood]]. He was the guest of honor at the Worldcon in 1976 for the third time at [[34th World Science Fiction Convention|MidAmeriCon]] in [[Kansas City, Missouri]]. At that Worldcon, Heinlein hosted a blood drive and donors' reception to thank all those who had helped save lives.

Beginning in 1977, and including an episode while vacationing in [[Tahiti]] in early 1978, he had episodes of reversible neurologic dysfunction due to [[transient ischemic attack]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.heinleinsociety.org/2013/02/faq-frequently-asked-questions-about-robert-a-heinlein-the-person-2/|title=FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Robert A. Heinlein, the person. |work=The Heinlein Society |access-date=February 26, 2019|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213124001/http://www.heinleinsociety.org/2013/02/faq-frequently-asked-questions-about-robert-a-heinlein-the-person-2/|url-status=live}}</ref> Over the next few months, he became more and more exhausted, and his health again began to decline. The problem was determined to be [[Carotid artery stenosis|a blocked carotid artery]], and he had one of the earliest known carotid bypass operations to correct it.

In 1980, Robert Heinlein was a member of the [[Citizen's Advisory Council on National Space Policy]], chaired by [[Jerry Pournelle]], which met at the home of SF writer [[Larry Niven]] to write space policy papers for the incoming [[Presidency of Ronald Reagan|Reagan administration]]. Members included such aerospace industry leaders as former astronaut [[Buzz Aldrin]], General [[Daniel O. Graham]], [[Aerospace engineering|aerospace engineer]] [[Maxwell Hunter|Max Hunter]] and [[North American Rockwell]] VP for Space Shuttle development George Merrick. Policy recommendations from the Council included ballistic missile defense concepts which were later transformed into what was called the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]]. Heinlein assisted with Council contribution to the Reagan SDI spring 1983 speech. Asked to appear before a [[Joint Committee of the United States Congress]] that year, he testified on his belief that [[Government spin-off|spin-offs]] from [[space technology]] were benefiting the infirm and the elderly.

Heinlein's surgical treatment re-energized him, and he wrote five novels from 1980 until he died in his sleep from [[emphysema]] and [[heart failure]] on May 8, 1988.

In 1995, [[Spider Robinson]] wrote the novel ''[[Variable Star]]'' based on an outline and notes created by Heinlein.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Society |first1=National Space |title=Book Review: Variable Star - National Space Society |url=https://space.nss.org/book-review-variable-star/ |date=October 25, 2006}}</ref> Heinlein's posthumously published nonfiction includes a selection of correspondence and notes edited into a somewhat autobiographical examination of his career, published in 1989 under the title ''[[Grumbles from the Grave]]'' by his wife, Virginia; his book on practical politics written in 1946 and published as ''[[Take Back Your Government]]'' in 1992; and a travelogue of their first around-the-world tour in 1954, ''[[Tramp Royale]]''. The novel ''Podkayne of Mars,'' which had been edited against Heinlein's wishes in their original release, was reissued with the original ending. ''Stranger In a Strange Land'' was originally published in a shorter form, but both the long and short versions are now simultaneously available in print.

Heinlein's archive is housed by the Special Collections department of [[McHenry Library]] at the [[University of California at Santa Cruz]]. The collection includes manuscript drafts, correspondence, photographs and artifacts. A substantial portion of the archive has been digitized and it is available online through the Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Archives.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Heinlein Archives |url=https://www.heinleinarchive.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207002700/http://www.heinleinarchives.net/upload/index.php |archive-date=December 7, 2008 |access-date=October 21, 2008 |publisher=The Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Archives}}</ref>