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“ The basic concept of physical machines capable of useful self-replication is credible both from a theoretical and a practical engineering standpoint. It is reasonable to begin designing replicating systems based on current knowledge and state-of-the-art technology, though final design resolution will require significant additional research. Complete systems closure is achievable in principle, though partial closure may be more feasible from an economic and pragmatic engineering standpoint in the near term. ”

“ In contrast to the terrestrial case, autonomous or symbiotic SRS are ideally suited to space applications. In space there is room for such systems to multiply and grow. In fact the exponentially expanding, self-replicating factory is the most promising option for economically viable exploration and utilization of space beyond the near-Earth environment. The bootstrapping effect of self-replication permits the utilization of vast quantities of extraterrestrial materials with only a modest initial investment of terrestrial materials. ”

“ The bottom-up approach consists of supporting basic and applied fields related to the desired goal. Science and technology normally advance in a bottom-up fashion. Researchers build on the work of their predecessors. At any given time the problems which are soluble and present research prospects are defined by previous research which has been done and by the supporting technology which is currently available. Inventions and breakthroughs are notoriously hard to schedule in advance. ”

“ Massive automation would dramatically increase the capabilities and effectiveness of the space program. Use of the emerging techniques of machine intelligence would make it possible to perform missions which previously would have required men in situ, thus prohibitively expensive. Highly automated programmable manufacturing by robots would permit the economical production of small numbers of spacecraft for exploratory missions. ”

“ John von Neumann, and a large number of other researchers in theoretical computer science following him, have shown that there are numerous alternative strategies by which a machine system can duplicate itself. There is a large repertoire of theoretical computer science results showing how machine systems may simulate, construct, inspect, and repair machine systems including, to some extent, themselves. ”

“ If the computers of the various robots were electrically interconnected the psychological impact on the observer would be more along the lines of a single system which was expanding itself, rather than producing distinct offspring. ”

“ Second, NASA should initiate in-house and sponsored research on enabling technologies, a "bottom-up" approach. Participation in research will keep the agency involved at the leading edge of automation technology and allow new developments to be fed into the mission design of the top-down and other NASA programs in a timely manner. The third recommended line of attack is a "middle-out" near-term hardware feasibility demonstration which will provide a focus for NASA involvement in self-replicating systems. ”

“ It is recommended that the first mission to be extensively studied be a mission executed relatively close to Earth. This will minimize cost and permit human intervention if necessary. An orbiting self-replicating system or a lunar-based self-replicating system are obvious candidates. The lunar site is recommended because manufacturing engineers presently have more experience in designing industrial facilities for a planetary surface than for orbit. ”

“ Care must be exercised to ensure that the subassemblies are light enough for the robot manipulators to be able to manipulate them - or, alternatively, to ensure that the robot manipulator is strong enough to be able to manipulate the subassemblies. These problems are by no means insurmountable. However, considerable reengineering of robot manipulators will be required to facilitate their assembly by similar robot manipulators. Likewise, the packaging of the computer will require some re-engineering for easy assembly by a robot manipulator. ”

“ Total autonomy will be more useful in space than on Earth. For symbiotic man-machine systems, man-rated life support systems are required, but because of the expense of man-rated systems it is worthwhile pursuing totally autonomous systems for early exploratory ventures. ”

“ Self-replicating systems appear potentially useful in an economic or commercial sense. The main advantage in using SRS over other methods of space exploration and industrialization is that a very large capability for performing any desired task can be rapidly achieved at almost any remote location, starting with a relatively small investment of time, money, energy, and mass in the original "seed" mechanism. ”

“ Present production methods have reached a level of maturity such that sufficiently large gains in productivity through further refinement of present-day technologies are unlikely to be realized. The only known solution is massive automation such as is now being applied in other industrialized countries, notably Japan and Germany. ”

“ The bottom-up approach suffers from several deficiencies. Since it is somewhat speculative in nature, some of the research will turn out to be of little use to the sponsor, though spinoffs to other fields may occur. Since bottom-up research is proposed on an ad hoc basis, careful selection is required to ensure a clear sense of direction toward the desired goal. ”

“ It should be noted that some additional complexity has been introduced into the demonstration by explicitly transferring the instructions from one generation of robot to the next by physical movement of a recording medium. This strategy was employed to make it clear that the generations are truly autonomous. ”

“ This stage can proceed for quite some time as the techniques for assembling each subassembly from sub-subassemblies are developed and implemented one by one. By the time stage 2 is complete, there will be extensive crossfertilization taking place between industry and the feasibility demonstration Indeed, accomplishment of stage 2 will mean that robots can be assembled from parts by other robots. As discussed in sections 5.4 and 5.5,this will have a profound impact on U.S. industry.
Stage 3 is the final link in achieving an autonomous self-replicating manufacturing facility. ”

“ SRS will have many applications on Earth, in near-Earth and lunar space, throughout the Solar System, and in the interstellar realm, for future exploration and utilization, suggesting a number of significant social, cultural and economic impacts on American and human society. ”

“ It also appears feasible to begin immediate work on the development of a simple demonstration SRS on a laboratory scale, with phased steps to more sophisticated levels as the technology is proven and matures. ”

“ It is recommended that the AO be distributed nationwide to the departments of industrial engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, astronomy, business, philosophy, law, and economics in colleges and universities. ”