Abstract
The concluding chapter looks back at all the findings of earlier chapters in the context of general explanatory theories. Its starting point is the frontier metaphor repeatedly associated with space exploration, especially in the light of the theory of what happens when a frontier closes, enunciated over a century ago by American historian Frederick Jackson Turner. A larger context can be provided by theories about the fall of civilizations that would consider the end of space exploration to have dire consequences for humanity. The chapter then considers how the spaceflight social movement competes with other cultural traditions within western societies, giving some attention to the links between spaceflight support and gender, and with education analyzed by gender. Some questionnaire data suggest that the worldwide explosion in popular use of Internet may be creating a new world culture that is more favorably disposed toward space exploration. Technological determinist theories suggest that spaceflight may experience a second acceleration phase, so long as popular interest has some degree of strength, once other fields of technology advance to the point at which new means of interplanetary travel become possible.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Astor, J. J. (1894). A journey in other worlds (p. iii). New York: D. Appleton.
Bainbridge, W. S. (1982). The impact of science fiction on attitudes toward technology. In E. M. Emme (Ed.), Science fiction and space futures (pp. 121–135). San Diego: American Astronautical Society.
Bainbridge, W. S. (1986a). Dimensions of science fiction (p. 171). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Bainbridge, W. S. (1986b). Dimensions of science fiction (p. 168). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
Bainbridge, W. S. (2007a). Across the secular abyss. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington.
Bainbridge, W. S. (2007b). Nanoconvergence. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Bainbridge, W. S. (2013). eGods: Faith versus fantasy in computer gaming (pp. 3–4). New York: Oxford University Press.
Bush, V. (1980). Science, the endless frontier. New York: Arno.
Drexler, K. E. (1992). Nanosystems: Molecular machinery, manufacturing, and computation. New York: Wiley.
Gibbon, E. (1880). The decline and fall of the Roman Empire. New York: Hurst.
Huntington, S. P. (1996). The clash of civilizations and the remaking of world order. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Launius, R. D. (2010). Can we colonize the solar system? Human biology and survival in the extreme space environment. Endeavour, 34(3), 122–129.
Merelman, R. M. (1973). Public education and social structure: Three modes of adjustment. The Journal of Politics, 35, 798–829.
Nathan Keyfitz, N. (1987). The family that does not reproduce itself. In K. Davis, M. Bernstam, & R. Ricardo-Campbell (Eds.), Below replacement fertility in industrial societies (pp. 139–154). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics. (2013). Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering: 2013 (p. 4). Arlington, Virginia: National Science Foundation.
National Science Foundation. (1999). Women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in science and engineering: 1998. Arlington, Virginia: National Science Foundation.
Niebuhr, H. R. (1929). The social sources of denominationalism. New York: Holt.
Ogburn, W. F. (1922). Social change. New York: Huebsch.
Plutzer, E., & Berkman, M. (2005). The graying of America and support for funding the nation’s schools. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 69, 66–86.
Roco, M. C., & Bainbridge, W. S. (Eds.). (2001). Societal implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer.
Roco, M. C., & Bainbridge, W. S. (Eds.). (2003). Converging technologies for improving human performance. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer.
Roco, M. C., Bainbridge, W., Tonn, B., & Whitesides, G. (Eds.). (2013). Convergence of knowledge, technology and society. Berlin: Springer.
Snow, C. P. (1959). The two cultures and the scientific revolution. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sorokin, P. A. (1937–1941). Social and cultural dynamics. New York: American Book Company.
Spengler, O. (1926–1928). The decline of the west. New York: Knopf.
Toynbee, A. J. (1947). A study of history. New York: Oxford University Press.
Turner, F. J. (1920). The frontier in American history. New York: Holt.
Wagner, R. (1994). The artwork of the future and other works. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.
Wilson, E. O. (1998). Consilience: The unity of knowledge. New York: Knopf.
Zachary, G. P. (1997). Endless frontier: Vannevar Bush, engineer of the American Century. New York: Free Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bainbridge, W.S. (2015). Frontiers. In: The Meaning and Value of Spaceflight. Space and Society. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07878-6_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07878-6_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-07877-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-07878-6
eBook Packages: Physics and AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy (R0)