Writing this book was its own long-duration mission but not one undertaken in isolation. No amount of gratitude is sufficient for thanking Sarah McCarry, J. Ryan Stradal, Sacha A. Howells, Chris Terry, Cecil Castellucci, Peter Nichols, Lacy Crawford, and John Howrey for heroically reading the book in various drafts and offering invaluable criticism, encouragement, and support. A galaxy of thank-yous to my space consultants for so generously lending knowledge and insight. Wonderful Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop instructors Michael Brotherton, Christian Ready, and Andria Schwortz provided an incredible learning experience (and the very finest in slides) to a writer hoping not to make a mess out of what is stranger than fiction. Thank you to Tony Coiro for a fantastic tour of a real-life rocket factory and for communicating the passion and dedication of those involved with space exploration, and to JB Blanc for beautifully explaining the mysteries of motion capture. A personal thank-you to Jay Huguley, Savannah Ashour, Terra Elan McVoy, Daniella Topol, Adam Dannheisser, Jen West, Melissa Lekus, Crystal Glenn, Brooke Delaney, Emily Roe, Marty and Dave Howrey, and Sarah McCarry for various forms of life support. The best martini in the universe goes to treasured agent Lisa Bankoff, and a golden star to Berni Barta. A final note of immense gratitude to the dedication and enthusiasm of Tara Singh Carlson, Helen Richard, and the entire Mission Control team of Putnam, along with Sue Armstrong and Emma Finn of Conville & Walsh, and Rowan Cope, Sophie Orme, and Simon & Schuster UK, for seeing this book to orbit.
For readers who are interested in learning about the real science of Mars missions, space exploration, and astronaut experiences, I’m happy to point out personal favorites, along with my thanks to the women and men of space science who share their work with the general public: Sky Walking: An Astronaut’s Memoir, by Tom Jones; An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, by Chris Hadfield; Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space, by Lynn Sherr; Riding Rockets, by Mike Mullane; Managing Martians, by Donna Shirley; Dragonfly, by Bryan Burrough; Packing for Mars, by Mary Roach; Mission to Mars, by Buzz Aldrin; Failure Is Not an Option, by Gene Kranz; Leaving Orbit, by Margaret Lazarus Dean; The Mercury 13, by Martha Ackmann; and The Case for Mars and Mars on Earth, by Robert Zubrin.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meg Howrey is a former dancer who performed with The Joffrey and received the Ovation Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Broadway National Tour of Contact. She is the author of two previous novels, Blind Sight and The Cranes Dance, and a coauthor of the bestselling novel City of Dark Magic and City of Lost Dreams, published under the pen name Magnus Flyte. Her nonfiction has appeared in Vogue and The Los Angeles Review of Books. She currently lives in Los Angeles.