{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,2]],"date-time":"2025-08-02T17:26:36Z","timestamp":1754155596098,"version":"3.41.2"},"reference-count":65,"publisher":"Emerald","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,5,20]],"date-time":"2020-05-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1589932800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.emerald.com\/insight\/site-policies"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["K"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,5,20]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Purpose<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>To trace a shift in attitudes towards control since the mid-twentieth century, as reflected in a shift in rhetoric that accompanied the extension from first- to second-order cybernetics.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Design\/methodology\/approach<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Narratives of exploration that have emerged from NASA\u2019s lunar programme and recent design cybernetics are juxtaposed to show a transition away from the legitimisation of goal-oriented decision-making and control towards advocacy of partial control avoidance and accommodation of the unanticipated.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Findings<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Contemporary cybernetic theory recognises the importance of both the partial presence and the partial absence of control in creative epistemic practice. It is thus unsurprising that, according to historical records, NASA\u2019s journey to the moon was enabled not only by the assurance of control but also by lapses of control. However, NASA\u2019s rhetorical posture during the race to the moon focused on predictable control and goal orientation, differing notably from the recent design-cybernetic openness towards uncertainty, error, and serendipity. This difference is encapsulated by the \u201cFailure is not an option\u201d dictum that was associated with NASA\u2019s lunar programme and the \u201cTry Again. Fail Again. Fail Better\u201d equivalent associated with design cybernetics. Recognition of the more recent cybernetic perspective is impeded by its continuing omission from narratives of earlier cybernetic accomplishments.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Research limitations\/implications<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>To the extent that narratives examined in this paper refer to exceptional initiatives and spontaneous events, the repeatability and generalisability of the presented argument are limited.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec>\n<jats:title content-type=\"abstract-subheading\">Originality\/value<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The paper highlights changing cybernetic narratives of creative invention by examining how spontaneous changes in variety were reported to have been addressed in NASA\u2019s lunar programme, and how recent cybernetic design theory suggests they should be addressed.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1108\/k-07-2019-0502","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,2,20]],"date-time":"2020-02-20T06:28:05Z","timestamp":1582180085000},"page":"2091-2108","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Narratives of exploration: from \u201cFailure is not an Option\u201d to \u201cTry again. 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