I think it would still apply to your scenario in the sense that if the public was genuinly talking about galactical travel, then traveling to the moon would seem like small potatoes in comparison.

However, there are better examples to get the message accross.

The message is:

framing makes something unreasonable become reasonable

Concider the following:

• The war on drugs caused mass incarceration of blacks and hippies. The term makes us think that the mass incarceration is justified.

• Pro life is a term used by conservatives who are against abortions causing the birth of unwanted children. Pro life makes us think that the birth of unwanted children is a matter of saving lives.

• Reducing footprint is a campaign by exxon mobile to focus on pollution from consumers instead of producers. Fossil fuel companies gains more free passes, making the unreasonable pass more often.

• Framing critics of Knesset regime as antisemites makes us dismiss the content of their criticism, making the unreasonable Knesset become reasonable.

• By framing billionaires as intelligent, hard working and jobs creator, we make confiscation of societal goods sound reasonable.