What is needed to open the space frontier is markets in Space. There is currently only one weak excuse for market in Space at this time: ISS sell experiment workspace and charges $2000 per kw/hr for any additional power needs an experimenter may need. As far as I know no one can buy candy bars or sodas at ISS or anywhere else in space. There is basically no markets in space, and until some markets are developed we will continue this foolish situation of having payload costing thousands of dollars per lb

As I've said many times, what we need is gas stations in Space.
A gas station in space selling rocket fuel to customers who need rocket fuel would a market in Space. Getting rocks from the moon and selling them on Earth is not what I mean when I say a market in Space. [Maybe if I said a marketplace in Space, this would be a descriptive term.] All the activity in the Antarctic could be said to be governmental, but I'm pretty certain there is various markets in Antarctic. For example, you probably have someplace where you are buy candy and soda; and I think there are tourist rides sold in the Antarctic.

Much commerical activity is probably discouraged in the park like areas in Antarctic, but at least there is *some* markets. Now, suppose GEO satellites slots could be call a market in space, or the fact that companies could buy satellites in space from other parties that them own, but that not *really* what I mean. Whereas buying repair service for a satellite would be what I mean [it doesn't need to be a human to human exchange]. The exchange could be teleoperated by both parties firmly on the ground on Earth, such as a unmanned spacecraft docking with an unmanned gas station.

[deleted much rambling]

Until there are markets in Space, space exploration is mostly a waste of tax dollars.
Larry is fond of saying something like "No politics, no Buck Rogers".
I say, "No markets, no Buck Rogers"- and politics which doesn't lead to markets in space are going nowhere (fast:).