A compendium of gratitudes is necessary, though it will no doubt be incomplete even as it is sprawling due to the first-book nature of this first book. And so, thanks to Tisse Takagi for initially reaching out, for patient guidance, conviction, smarts, and calm. Thanks to Karen Wolny, for your bid and Laura Apperson and Daniela Rapp, for shepherding it through. Thanks to Kim Binsted and Jean Hunter, for your ambitions to create a Mars on Earth, and for the other members of the project, including Bryan Caldwell, Mongoose D’angelo, Brian Shrio, James Harris, Jamie Guined, Henk Rogers, Vincent Paul Ponthieux, and many others, too many to name, on mission support, who gave of their time and expertise. Thank you, Robin Black; thank you, Jessica Cruzan. Thank you, crew—Sian, Simon, Oleg, Yajaira, Angelo, and Crystal, Chris, and Yvonne. You changed me.
To teachers, mentors, and friends Maggie Bayne-Sneed, Stephanie Shelley, Jane Raplinger, Jade Durkee, Janice Ninemire-Van Gorp, Megan Boyer, Marian Van Vleet, Jean Emerson, Kyle Beran, Sister Susan Rieke, Sister Susan Chase, Sister Diane Steele, Leslie Anderson, Tina Warinner, Anne Gibson, thank you. Also: Linda Olafsen, Delora Tanner, Todd McAlpine, and Mike Santilli for showing me how to be a scientist. And Tom Standage, Tim Cross, Alex Fak, Kate Galbraith, and Patricia Marvin for showing me how a scientist could become a writer. Continuing that, my sincere appreciation to Wade Roush, Katie Bourzac, Rachel Kremen, Ross Andersen, Jennifer Kahn, John Gravois, Siri Carpenter, Lisa Raffensperger, Laura Helmuth, Michelle Nijhaus. And to Inga Lintvedt, Susanna Kwan, Kendra DeColo, Steve Ornes, David Winetraub, Kate Daniels, Rick Hilles, Mark Jarman, Nancy Reisman, my gratitude. Thank you very much Paige Bierma, Joel Murach, Ray Halliday, Chun Yu, Rosemary Gong, Dan Krotz, Julie Chao, Kelly Owen, Jim Wilson, Valerie Maulbeck, Joanna Sickler, Beanie Allen, Shay O’Brien, and Jess Anthony, damn, those drawings. And gratitude to inspirations, friends, and guides Dorothea Lasky, Timothy Donnelly, Mark Bibbins, Shane McCrae, Susan Bernofsky, Alan Felsenthal, Leanne Shapton, BK Fischer, Hilton Als, CA Conrad, Donika Kelly, Sarah Jane Stoner, Rachel Khong and the Rubies, Aku Ammah-Tagoe, Rebeca Felix, Brandan Griffin, Hannah Risinger, Lauren Green, Coco Wilder, Cyree Jarelle Johnson, Sahar Kubba, Anastasios Karnazes, and Dia Felix. To early readers of the manuscript, Stephen Cass, Ada Brunstein, Jacquelyn Marie Gallo, Christopher J. Adamson, and my first reader, truly, Jill Schepmann, thank you completely. To my family of origin, Albo and Stu, Steve, Evann, Mark, Joan and Bob, thank you for the beginnings, the middles, and to the ends of all of it, I am grateful.