Martin Caidin was a sci-fi author and an aviation expert. He is best known for his 1972 novel Cyborg. It was the basis for the TV shows "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "The Bionic Woman."
In 1964 Director Frank Capra asked to use the title of Caidin's book Rendezvous in Space for an unrelated documentary. Caidin said yes but Capra had to buy him a spaghetti dinner and a bottle of Italian wine.
Capra later helped Caidin adapt his book Marooned into a 1969 film.
Caidin was also an experienced pilot. In 1981 he flew a plane while 19 people walked on one of its wings. This set a world record.
The Martin Caidin papers available at UW's American Heritage Center contain his books and screenplays.