Now, under Obama’s new and sensible space policy, the US government is planning to focus on flying to Mars and so-called “near-Earth objects,” purchasing routine transportation to the International Space Station from companies such as SpaceX (instead of from the Russian space program at $60 million or so per astronaut for every round-trip). What the Dragon moment makes clear is that the ability to commercialize innovation, not just to create it, is what has made the US economy so robust over the long run.