(favors a contest award to 1st 2 perveyors of successful crew to LEO vehicles)

This, of course, assumes that NASA's main goal is successful space travel. Like any other government program (education, social security, you name it), its main goal is increasing its own budget and size, and its stated purpose is about fifth down the list.

My outfit proposed a vehicle for the AAS program that was easily upgradable to a manned version. Early flights would have been on surplus Titan IIs. Later flights would have used a semi-reusable rocket (reusable engine capsule) of our own design. The whole thing probably would cost about what NASA spends to keep its washrooms supplied. What's in it for NASA to come up with a concept that employs maybe two dozen NASA people? Or adds no real money to NASA centers?

We won preliminary study contracts, but that's as far as it went.

Now, research, that's something that can employ people and suck in Federal funds. That's why NASA isn't going to come up with a decent low-cost space system any more than Federally-funded energy programs will come up with a fusion reactor.