re: The author seems to make a number of assumptions
Although I agree with the prize paradigm, you're still way too optimistic regarding Mars. Prizes should be incremental ssmaller steps. Way back in the MSNBC days I caused meltdowns by saying we were NOT going to Mars early in the 21st century like folks were insisting. My timeline was in the mid 2030s via private funding. In retrospect, I was probably too early. If the candidate of hope and change wins the presidency, you can forget about any NASA manned spaceflight.