The proposal in the paper is at least somewhat different: it wouldn't become fully self-sufficient until the later stages of about a seven stage process. The ea

The proposal in the paper is at least somewhat different: it wouldn't become fully self-sufficient until the later stages of about a seven stage process. The earlier stages just involve unmanned robots controlled from Earth, beginning with around 17th century technology and moving towards autonomy with each successive generation. I definitely see your point, but this isn't quite the same as proposing a lunar colony of self-reproducing robots within the next few years (besides, robotics have come a long way since then).