EP,
You idea about some one like Cameron paying for a rover to Mars is interesting, yet what is stopping them now? Clearly something is missing to get folks motivated.
Also the X-prize seem to have worked and Richard Branson is now following up with a tourist service. Yes, the losing teams had nothing to show, but that is the nature of cmpetition.
Given the problems NASA is having with MSL and MSR as prize model might just work. take the funds from both progrmas which seem to be failing and offer them as Mars Prizes. Say $1 billion for proof of life on Mars and $500 million for returning a sample of Mars to Earth safely. If alt.space firms are as good as they say they are they would likely be able to do both before either MSL and MSR is scheduled to fly, saving taxpayers tens of millions in future cost overruns and speeding up the entire schedule for sending humans to Mars.
Space/Science » in reply to I prefer Mars cash...
Mars Motivation