Navigating the difficult terrain of space is NASA’s domain, and the storied agency is no stranger to embracing challenges in the final frontier and beyond. But the Earth-bound challenges it faces now are as formidable as the demands of any of its deep space missions.

President-elect Donald Trump has not been sworn in yet but he is already announcing steps that are reverberating around the globe. He has already threatened a trade war with two allies, one adversary and a powerful Global South group.