The fiction that predicted space travel
Unveiling the uncanny foresight of fiction that envisioned space travel long before it became a reality. Delve into the imaginative realms of past authors who dared to dream beyond the confines of Earth, their visionary tales now mirrored in our cosmic journeys.
Arthur C. Clarke’s Predictions for the Future
Many of his predictions for the future came true, but his wildly imaginative science-fiction writing is his greatest legacy.
- His first novel, 1947’s Prelude to Space, accurately predicted the year of the first moon rocket in 1959
- He predicted the iPad, computer software that is able to read lips, and space stations
- Towards the end of his life, Clarke cited 2001 as one of his most significant achievements.
In his later years, he seemed a relic from a distant era, his tax-free Sri Lankan lifestyle supported by a staff of valets and houseboys.
But Clarke’s vision of the future has barely aged
- He once suggested that while more than 1% of science fiction readers would make reliable prophets, almost 100% of reliable prophets would be unreliable prophets
- His imagination allowed his mind to stretch far beyond the realm of what might seem immediately possible.
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