Lore Podcast Episode 303: Shoot for the Stars

Host: Aaron Mahnke
Release Date: April 6, 2026
Theme/Purpose:
This episode of Lore explores humanity's long-held fascination with the stars, space travel, and the eerie and often superstitious stories that have formed around them. From the realities of astronauts' rituals to ancient and global stellar myths, and from UFOs leaving strange debris to the lore behind flying carpets, Aaron Mahnke dives into the dark, unsettling, and sometimes whimsical ways we attempt to make sense of the universe above us.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. William Shatner’s Unexpected Encounter with Space

[02:13]

• William Shatner, famed for his role as Captain Kirk on Star Trek, actually went to space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard flight at age 90, making him the oldest person ever to do so.
• Shatner described his real journey as profoundly unsettling rather than awe-inspiring:

  "When I looked in the opposite direction, into space, there was no mystery, no majestic awe to behold. All I saw was death."
  (William Shatner, reflecting on his spaceflight)

• Mahnke uses this as a segue:

  "Sometimes to find true horror all you have to do is look up."
  (Aaron Mahnke, [03:13])

2. The Real Terrors of Space Travel

[03:30]

• The fate of Soyuz 11 in 1971: all three cosmonauts died due to depressurization upon undocking—the only humans to die in outer space itself.
• Despite the high drama of sci-fi, real space fatalities during actual time outside the atmosphere are extremely rare.
• Many more have died in the pursuit of space:
  • Apollo 1 fire; Soyuz 1 crash; Challenger disaster (1986); Columbia shuttle disaster (2003); and numerous animal casualties.

  "When you start adding it up, space travel clearly isn't the safest of pursuits."
  (Aaron Mahnke, [06:01])

3. Rituals, Superstitions, and Spacefarers

[07:10]

• Astronauts and cosmonauts—scientists and engineers—are also wildly superstitious:
  • American traditions: Eating scrambled eggs and steak before launch (the Alan Shepard meal); playing "Possum Fargo," a card game where the commander must win with the lowest hand before suiting up—sometimes almost delaying schedules.

    "Apparently there have been multiple occasions where the card game came dangerously close to messing up a launch schedule."
    (Aaron Mahnke, [09:08])

  • Jet Propulsion Lab’s “lucky peanuts” ritual started after six failed attempts to send a probe to the moon in the 1960s; the seventh snack-laden attempt succeeded, and the peanuts are now mandatory.
• Russian traditions:
  • Watching the film White Sun of the Desert pre-launch; replicating Yuri Gagarin’s steps (planting a tree, signing doors, haircuts, peeing on the launch bus tire, visiting Gagarin’s preserved office, praying to his ghost for safe travel).

    "You have to ask Yuri Gagarin's permission to enter the skies. Which might be a problem, given the fact that he's dead. But don't worry. The Russian astronauts know exactly what to do. They simply beg the blessing of Gagarin's ghost."
    (Aaron Mahnke, [13:50])

4. The Depth of Star Myths

[15:28]

• Humanity’s stories about the stars stretch back to ancient cultures:
  • The zodiac—“circle of little animals”—and the Greek myths turning earthly characters into constellations (Cancer, Leo, Ursa Major/Minor, Pleiades).
  • The myth of the Seven Sisters (Pleiades) appears globally; strikingly, only six stars are visible now, but the stories of “seven” may predate this visibility by some 100,000 years, hinting at an ancient, possibly African origin for these myths.

    "If the last time seven distinct stars were visible to the naked eye was 100,000 years ago, it means those stories about the seven sisters must be at least as old."
    (Aaron Mahnke, [17:32])

• Cultural taboos:
  • Pointing at the stars considered disrespectful (South Africa’s Xã, Germany, Britain, Brazil), with various superstitions (e.g., counting stars can bring death or a wart).

5. Celestial Omens: Comets and Folklore

[21:23]

• Comets almost universally regarded as omens, often of disaster.
• Culture-specific interpretations:
  • China: Comets sweep away the old;
  • Rome: The term “comet” derives from Greek for “head with long hair”; Emperor Vespasian joked that a comet’s warning couldn't mean him because he was bald.

    "How was he so sure? Why, because he was bald, of course."
    (Aaron Mahnke, [22:47])

6. UFOs, “Angel Hair,” and the Unexplained

[23:38]

• 1952: Oloron, France, flooded with web-like material (“angel hair”) after a UFO sighting; similar events reported globally and across history, often in October.
• 1954: At a Florence soccer match, thousands witnessed sticky, silvery strands fall from cigar-shaped UFOs—which resumed play after the spectacle ended.

  "Once the spectacle vanished, they went right back to playing. The home team won in a 62 victory, by the way. But it wasn't the score that would stick in players' memories."
  (Aaron Mahnke, [27:03])

• Possible explanations:
  • “Chaff” from military planes;
  • Spider ballooning (mass spider webs carried by breeze, causing optical illusions).
  • Yet, a sample from Florence (1954) tested as neither chaff nor spider silk—adding to the mystery.

    "It has neither plain chaff nor spider silk."
    (Aaron Mahnke, [28:14])

7. The Magic Carpet Ride — Lore’s True Final Story

[28:50]

• The "magic carpet" of Aladdin fame is, in fact, not originally part of Aladdin but a Disney invention—though true “flying carpet” lore predates Disney.
• King Solomon’s flying carpet: The size of Washington, D.C., made of silk and gold, presented by God or the Queen of Sheba, capable of carrying thousands, foiled by Solomon’s pride (literally dropped men to their deaths).

  "A city sized flying rug definitely puts my car to shame. But we all know how these stories go. Pride comes before the fall. And in this case, that fall is literal."
  (Aaron Mahnke, [31:28])

• Flying carpets appear in Filipino stories (as gifts for kindness) and Russian and Slavic tales (Baba Yaga gifts them). Soviet propaganda even weaves Stalin’s face onto a magic carpet.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Shatner’s existential horror in space:

  "All I saw was death." – William Shatner ([02:54])

• On space travel’s risks:

  "Space travel clearly isn't the safest of pursuits." – Aaron Mahnke ([06:01])

• On astronaut superstitions:

  "Apparently there have been multiple occasions where the card game came dangerously close to messing up a launch schedule." – Aaron Mahnke ([09:08])

• On the ancient, global reach of Pleiades legends:

  "If the last time seven distinct stars were visible to the naked eye was 100,000 years ago, it means those stories about the seven sisters must be at least as old." – Aaron Mahnke ([17:32])

• On the humility (or lack thereof) in human approaches to the cosmos:

  "We bring the void to life." – Aaron Mahnke ([27:21])

• On the limitations of scientific explanations:

  "It has neither plain chaff nor spider silk." – Aaron Mahnke ([28:14])

• On Solomon’s pride and literal downfall:

  "Pride comes before the fall. And in this case, that fall is literal." – Aaron Mahnke ([31:28])

Timestamps for Segment Highlights

• [02:13] — William Shatner in space, and his haunting realization
• [03:30] — The fate of Soyuz 11 and real space fatalities
• [07:10] — Astronaut and cosmonaut pre-launch superstitions
• [13:50] — Russian cosmic rituals and veneration of Yuri Gagarin
• [15:28] — Ancient myth-making and the Pleiades sisters
• [21:23] — The mythology and superstitions around comets
• [23:38] — “Angel hair” UFOs and their mysteries through history
• [28:50] — The true lore of flying carpets, from Solomon to Stalin

Flow & Tone

Aaron Mahnke blends historical research, folklore, and a quietly ominous sensibility with dry wit and gentle skepticism. His tone moves from awe to playful, from unsettling to matter-of-fact, always returning to humanity’s need to find meaning and comfort in the unknowable night sky.

Episode Takeaways

• Humanity’s fascination with space is long, lively, and sometimes deadly—or at least, laced with superstition.
• Myths about the stars often reflect existential anxieties about the unknown, the vastness above us, and our isolation within it.
• Sometimes, even the wildest explanations fall short, and the universe retains its mysteries.
• The stories we tell about the skies—be they about rituals, myths, omens, or magical rides—are as endless as the cosmos themselves.

For more stories like these, visit Lore and keep following the darkness above and within.