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Infinite innovation and finite politics

When a newly emboldened Donald Trump started his second term as president Monday, the differences from his Democratic predecessor could be summed up in one way: President Joe Biden’s primary goal in outer space was to return Americans to the moon. Mr. Trump urgently wants “astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.”

Moon shot or Mars shot? Most countries only wish they could enjoy competing goals in space exploration.

The difference might be significant in terms of the pace and scope of planetary discovery. But that misses the point. Both presidents have simply chosen to ride the current wave of creativity and ingenuity in American science and technology – each in his own way. The change in the Oval Office will shift only the approach in boosting the country’s greatest strength: innovation and inventiveness that has driven up labor productivity to rates the rest of the world envies.

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