Beliefs

Michel Nostradamus was a Sixteenth century French Physician and astrologer. His modern followers see him as a prophet. His prophecies have a material quality for those who study them: they are muddled and obscure before the predicted event, but become crystal clear after the event has occurred. Nostradamus wrote quatrains in Centuries, i. e. groups of 100 years. Skeptics consider the prophecies of Nostradamus to be mainly gibberish. For example:

"L'an mil neuf cens nonante neuf mois Du ciel viendra grand Roy deffraieur Resusciter le grand Roy d' Angolmois. Avant apres Mars regner par bon heur."
"The year 1999 seven months,
From the sky will come the great King of Terror.
To resuscitate the great King of the Mongols.
Before and after Mars reigns by good luck. (X-72)"

The homepage of the Skeptic Dictionary had an explanation about this quatrain, which was written before that data:

If something falls from the sky in July, 1999, you can bet Nostradamus will be credited for predicting it, even if nobody can figure out who this mongol King might be. In fact, if anything interesting happens in the sky in June, July, or August, it will be close enough for the true believer to consider it to be Nostradamus' gift of prediction.

There are two reactions towards these quatrains:

The skeptical group: This group believes that these predictions were so muddled and obscure that they could either make it fit any interpretation, or be dismissed as nothing. Skeptics, such as James Randi, usually cast doubt upon the interpretation of Nostradamus' quatrains.
The primordial group: This group believes unconditionally in these quatrains. They decode every word and every sentence as they like, so that the original text complies with their ideas and wishes. An example of this group is -among other believers- Erika Cheetham, who believes that Nostradamus foresaw the invention of bombs, rockets, submarines, and airplanes. He's also credited with predicting the Great Fire of London (1666) and the rise of Adolph Hitler and many other wonders. They believe he predicted the invention of the space shuttle when he says:

"D 'humain troupeau neuf seront mis a'part,
De iugement & conseil separez:
Leur sort sera diuise' en depart,
Kappa, Thita, Lambda mors bannis esgarez."
"From the human flock nine will be sent away,

separated from judgement and counsel:
Their fate will be sealed on departure
Kappa, Thita, Lambda the banished dead err."

Thiokol is the man who made the defective O-ring that is blamed for the disaster. The name has a 'k', 'th' and an 'l'. This seems in contrast to the first group who believes that there were seven who died, not nine, and the rest is vague enough to fit many different scenarios. 240 One should ignore these sorts of silly prophecies, and instead focus on those that come from a truly Divine sources.
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240. The skeptics Dictionary, Robert Todd Carroll. http://wheel.den.davis.ca.us

Adapted from the book: "The Awaited Saviour; Questions and Answers"