The Future Becomes The Past

Sf authors wrote about the first men on the Moon. Now they refer to Armstrong and Aldrin - except in retro-sf/alternative history. Every option remains open. Any new addition to Robert Heinlein's Future History would still refer to "The Man Who Sold The Moon."

Poul Anderson's sf was published 1947-2003, from shortly after World War II until the beginning of the twenty first century.

In The Shield Of Time (1990), Anderson refers to Gorbachev.
In The Stars Are Also Fire (1994), he refers to Armstrong.
In Genesis (2000), he refers to the Internet.

Thus, sf keeps pace with the present and continues to extrapolate.

See:

Continuing The Beginning
Tools And Language
Tools And Language II

Anderson summarizes technology from language and fire to the Internet and automation, then extrapolates to self-enhancing AI. Chapter II of Genesis summarizes the history that led first to the early twenty first century, then to Anderson's further futuristic speculations. It will be a long time, if ever, before Genesis becomes dated.