How, or where, did Strauss perceive the world?

I watched the film 2001: A Space Odyssey on TV. The last scene is always impressive with the introduction of Also sprach Zarathustra. The tune matches the sight in which Dave, who is now almost like an extraterrestrial, looks down upon the earth. Then, I wonder, what kind of idea or sight Richard Strauss had in his mind as he composed the tone poem.