Frontier? Or wilderness? The role of metaphor in popular conceptions of space exploration

Paper number

IAC-06-E5.3.05

Author

Dr. Linda Billings, SETI Institute, United States

Year

2006

Abstract

The frontier metaphor has been a persistent presence in the history of the U.S. civilian space program, and it continues to make frequent appearances in public discourse about space exploration today. What is the role of the frontier metaphor in this discourse?  What goals and interests does it serve?  Is this metaphor uniquely American?  Is it meaningful across cultural boundaries? 

The social, political, economic and cultural context for space exploration has changed drastically over the past 30 years: space exploration is now a broadly multinational, multicultural, and multipurpose enterprise.  It is worth considering whether the current rhetoric of space exploration is in tune with current public interests, and it is worthwhile to reexamine what the frontier metaphor lends to the enterprise of space exploration and public engagement with it.

This paper will review the use of the frontier metaphor in contemporary discourse about space exploration, provide some historical perspective, consider the range of meanings embedded in the metaphor, and discuss possible alternatives. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate thinking about the role of rhetoric in advancing the cultural enterprise of space exploration, expand public dialogue about the purpose of space exploration, and promote consideration of what messages about purpose the rhetoric of space exploration might convey.

Abstract document

IAC-06-E5.3.05.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-06-E5.3.05.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.