In writing the Moon Base Alpha books, I do my best to be as realistic as possible in describing the future of space travel (and yes, that even applies to the possible way alien contact might eventually happen). I continue to be indebted to my good friend, Garrett Reisman, former astronaut and current director of crew operations at SpaceX, who was always available to answer any questions I had. I’d also like to thank Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid, director of the Center for Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines, and Joel G. Duncan, PhD, senior lecturer in the Department of Geology and Geological Engineering at the School of Mines, for their help in figuring out how construction of a moon base might proceed. My intern, Caroline Yost, did some exceptionally good research for me. And finally, I’d also like to thank my junior research team, my children, the original Dashiell and Violet, for being such good sports on my fact-finding trips, whether they be to the Kennedy Space Center to learn about spaceflight, the Griffith Observatory to learn about moon rocks, or Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to study lava tubes. I love you guys!