ABSTRACT
For thousands of years the night sky has inspired people to tell stories and build models describing how and why the world and the universe is as it appears to be. Legends and theories of the origins of stars, planets and comets and the significance of their positions in the sky have had considerable influence on the way that humans have behaved and civilisations have developed. Tales of travelling to and through space developed over the centuries have usually been accompanied by descriptions of wonder and the discovery of new sources of power. Today the dreams of wonder, of discovery and knowledge appear to have given way to nightmare scenarios of space weaponry and the possibility of actually fighting wars in space has become a common discussion point among politicians, diplomats and the military.
