Page:Advanced Automation for Space Missions.djvu/4



''The painting was created by Mr. Rick Guidice. It captures the spirit of the space missions described in this study. In the center of the picture are human beings who, we believe, will continue to play a controlling role in future space missions. To the right of the circle are two space systems representing a partially automated Space Manufacturing Facility which would eventually utilize nonterrestrial resources. In the upper-right corner is Saturn attended by its largest natural satellite Titan, the proposed destination of our advanced space-exploration mission. The upper-left corner depicts the deepest reaches of the Cosmos that humans someday may explore. At center left is the Earth, which is under intensive study by an intelligent Earth-sensing information system that is able to obtain and deliver data in a far more effective manner than present-day methods. In the lower left corner, a lunar manufacturing facility rises from the surface of the Moon. Someday, such a factory might replicate itself, or at least produce most of its own components, so that the number of facilities could grow very rapidly from a single seed.''