[MagnumRancid]

I think there are more possibilities than three, and I actually don't believe in "Friendly Aliens".
Profit could be a great motivator. There is money to be made in space, big money. The development, tooling, and infrastructure building requires the government,most likely.
I would not be surprised if the first "space colonists" were some religious sect or cult.
The author of the article is correct that robots could do the exploration and most of the work more efficiently and economically than humans. We're going out there. Out of necessity or curiosity, we're going. I won't live long enough to see it but my granddaughter might.

[Search4Truth]

They need to get some robotic HDTV cameras on Mars and make a feature presentation. They could do it for a fraction of the cost of sending humans and do it a decade sooner. That way everyone could take a virtual trip to Mars. IMAX could make a fortune. The profits on the distribution rights to the film could be, well, out of this world.