NASA is just another sinkhole for money now. They are most concerned with "moslem outreach" and "global warming". What does that have to do with exploring space? Spin the critical science bits off to DARPA, Livermore, JPL etc. Just close down the rest.
Just as the nascent aircraft industry got off the ground with military contracts and airlines were created to service air mail routes, military and commercial necessities should drive the space industry.
Take the money you save by closing NASA and expand the military use of space. A crash program could produce a small a man rated space ferry in a very short time, especially if you build on past programs. Billion dollar prizes and tax incentives could result in a flourishing space industry in a few years, centered on the tourist and manufacturing sectors.
Beyond that, the holy grail is a colony/military post on the far side of the moon. This is the ultimate high ground, virtually unreachable with current technology. If the west doesn't claim this high ground, the Chinese will. If you have to rely on the Russians to get your astronauts into space, you won't get there.
I’ve been of the opinion for a number of years that Left does not desire for mankind to go to beyond the atmosphere of Earth because doing so would cause them to lose control of mankind.
Space travel will remain scarce and tightly controlled until the grip on it by the Left is released by Conservatives. SpaceX certainly is a beginning in the right direction but it won’t take much from the Feds to shut them down with the army of bureaucrats to regulate them out of business.