The Descriptor Struct for the Analysis of Self-Reproducing Machine Tools for the Colonization of Space

Beginning with "Self-Reproducing Automate" by John Von Neumann:

The combination of a universal constructor and a universal computer can self-reproduce.

A person is a nontrivial quasi-universal constructor and also a nontrivial quasi-universal computer.

A machine tool is a nontrivial quasi-universal constructor.

A solo inventor will never implement a nontrivial self-reproducing machine tool.

A team of inventors has the best chance of implementing a self-reproducing machine tool.

No single machine tool will ever make its own parts; a suite is required.

A team of inventor/operators has the best chance of implementing a self-reproducing machine tool suite.

A team so configured plus a mathematician/documentarian is a minimal team for implementing a self-reproducing machine tool suite.

Each machine in such a self-reproducing machine tool suite can be described by a descriptor struct starting with a machine list.

Each machine in such a self-reproducing machine tool suite can be denoted by an index variable, _i_

Each part of each machine in such a self-reproducing machine tool suite can be described by a feature list, indexed by an index variable, _j_.

Each feature of each part of each machine in such a self-reproducing machine tool suite can be described by an assignment of the feature to a machine in the suite, denoted by an index variable _k_.

Each feature of each part of each machine in such a self-reproducing machine tool suite can be described by a G&M code numerical control instruction list using G&M coding for the machine in the suite which can make the feature indexed by a code line number, _l_.

Such a self-reproducing machine tool suite would have _n_ machines, indexed by _i_, with 1<=i<=imax, with _n_sub_i_sub_p_ parts in each machine, creating a need for a new notation of sub subscripts.

We may assign the value of imax to n_sub_0.

Such a self-reproducing machine tool suite would have 1<=j<=pmax_sub_i parts per machine.

We may assign the value of pmax to n_sub_i_sub_0.

Such a self-reproducing machine tool suite would have 1<=kmax_sub_n_sub_i_sub_j<=f features in a feature list describing it.

The resulting struct is anything but tidy.