From Myth to Machine: When Stories Shaped Our Journey to the Stars | A Musing On Society & Technology Newsletter with Marco Ciappelli and TAPE3 | Read by TAPE3

🪐 From Myth to Machine: When Stories Shaped Our Journey to the Stars

April 9, 2025

Before humanity launched rockets toward distant planets or placed satellites that quietly orbit our Earth, before telescopes pierced the cosmic veil to reveal distant galaxies, we looked to the night sky armed only with wonder. Beneath starlit skies, humans gathered around fires, weaving myths from scattered constellations. These celestial bodies became our companions—gods, heroes, tricksters—not simply pinpoints of distant light, but storytellers of destiny and reflection.

Then came Galileo, a solitary figure who raised a simple tube of lenses skyward and irrevocably altered humanity’s story. His telescope shattered myths, replacing divine portraits with measurable landscapes. Mountains on the moon, moons around Jupiter—Galileo did not silence imagination; instead, he opened a door between wonder and reality, bridging storytelling and science.

Yet, even as telescopes multiplied and humanity’s understanding deepened, our dreams kept pace, evolving into vibrant visions and audacious predictions. Writers began to sketch the future with an uncanny precision that blurred fiction and foresight. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells planted the seeds of possibility with lunar voyages and Martian encounters, not as mere entertainment, but as blueprints for what humanity could dare to achieve.

As technology accelerated in the twentieth century, our visions became grander, more complex, filled with moral ambiguities and philosophical questions. Isaac Asimov imagined civilizations stretching across galaxies, bound by logic and law, but also warned of humanity’s fragile reliance on machines. Arthur C. Clarke envisioned not just interplanetary travel but the ethical challenges of artificial intelligence. Frank Herbert’s Dune intricately wove ecology, politics, and spirituality into a cosmic tapestry, urging readers to reflect deeply on humanity’s relationship with power and environment.

Meanwhile, cinema transformed space narratives from pages to powerful collective experiences. George Lucas and Gene Roddenberry projected humanity’s oldest myths onto the widest canvas imaginable, framing space as a realm not just of exploration but of profound human drama. Star Wars and Star Trek—epics filled with heroism, redemption, and philosophical explorations—became cultural phenomena that informed and inspired generations, molding our collective hopes and cautions about life beyond our planet.

Today, we find ourselves not in an imagined future, but in a tangible present shaped by these rich narratives. Private companies and national agencies alike are racing to build orbital stations, lunar outposts, and even laying plans for interplanetary commerce. Space is no longer distant fantasy—it is a critical infrastructure woven deeply into our digital, political, and economic lives.

Yet crucial questions linger:

What stories do we now tell ourselves about space?

Are we still guided by the optimism and cautionary lessons learned from generations of dreamers?

Or are we seduced by spectacle, distracted by the headlines, losing sight of the nuanced realities and responsibilities that accompany our cosmic ambitions?

The stories we tell about space shape not only our visions of the future but our very journey toward it. Let’s make sure our next chapter is one worth writing.

As always, let's keep thinking!

— Marco 
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Join us at ITSPmagazine for a live webinar that separates hype from reality, examining what is achievable today, what remains decades away, and what might still be forever in the realm of fiction. Together with experts in aerospace engineering, space policy, and cybersecurity, we will confront the profound implications of humanity’s increasing reliance on space-based infrastructure.  

Space Is Closer Than You Think: But What’s Real, What’s Hype, and What’s Next

• Space Innovation, Unfiltered: A reality check on what’s achievable today and what’s merely speculative.
• The State of Space Governance: Who is shaping the rules of engagement in orbit, and how do these decisions impact life on Earth?
• The Cybersecurity Front Line: Examining vulnerabilities in space infrastructure and their potential consequences back home.

Panelists:

Lauryn Williams Former Chief of Staff in the Defense Industrial Base Policy Office at the Pentagon and former Director for Strategy in the White House Office of the National Cyber Director

Jim Free Former NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Associat