# NASA Saw Self Replicating Systems as a Space Advantage by NASA ASEE Summer Study
> “NASA is in a unique position to benefit from massive automation — particularly self-replicating systems.”
> **— NASA/ASEE Summer Study**, *1980 study; published 1982 in Advanced Automation for Space Missions, §5.6.1*
## Sources and Context
- **Primary NASA chapter:** [NASA Conference Publication 2255, Chapter 5.6.1, “Prologue to Realization”](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19830007081/downloads/19830007081.pdf). The chapter proposes that automated, potentially self-replicating systems could support space missions and use extraterrestrial resources. This is a feasibility argument and planning recommendation, not evidence that a lunar self-replicating factory was deployed.
- **Readable transcription:** [Wikisource Chapter 5.6](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Advanced_Automation_for_Space_Missions/Chapter_5.6), which preserves the em dash shown in the NASA chapter extract.
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## Related Topics
- [[wiki/Advanced Automation for Space Missions|Advanced Automation for Space Missions]]
- [[wiki/Self-Replicating System|Self-Replicating System]]
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“NASA is in a unique position to benefit from massive automation — particularly self-replicating systems.”
— NASA/ASEE Summer Study, Advanced Automation for Space Missions, 1982
https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-nasa-self-replicating-space-advantage
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