Available rewards
$15 — The Signal
In 1968, a teenage girl in Chatsworth, California, helped assemble a cable designed to carry signals between the ground and a spacecraft being prepared for the moon. Her name was Ramona. This is her story. The Signal tier gets you the complete ebook edition of A Cable to the Moo
In 1968, a teenage girl in Chatsworth, California, helped assemble a cable designed to carry signals between the ground and a spacecraft being prepared for the moon. Her name was Ramona. This is her story. The Signal tier gets you the complete ebook edition of A Cable to the Moo
3 items included
- Ebook edition (delivered digitally, estimated Feb 2027)
- Backer updates throughout the writing and publication process
- Behind-the-scenes dispatches on the research and verification
Paperback Edition
Kickstarter Backer Edition Paperback plus Backer Updates
Kickstarter Backer Edition Paperback plus Backer Updates
The Hardline
The NASA technical record is precise about this: signals from the ACE ground station were transmitted by hardlines to the spacecraft vicinity. A hardline is a direct, physical connection. No relay. No guesswork. Wire to wire. This tier adds a personal touch to your copy. Your na
The NASA technical record is precise about this: signals from the ACE ground station were transmitted by hardlines to the spacecraft vicinity. A hardline is a direct, physical connection. No relay. No guesswork. Wire to wire. This tier adds a personal touch to your copy. Your na
3 items included
- Signed paperback edition (ships worldwide, estimated Feb 2027)
- Ebook edition
- Backer updates throughout the writing and publication process
The Connector
Ramona's cable had approximately 200 connectors. Each one crimped by hand. Each one a small, precise act that made the whole system work. No connector, no signal. No signal, no mission. The hardcover edition is the object this story deserves. Cloth bound, built to last, signed
Ramona's cable had approximately 200 connectors. Each one crimped by hand. Each one a small, precise act that made the whole system work. No connector, no signal. No signal, no mission. The hardcover edition is the object this story deserves. Cloth bound, built to last, signed
3 items included
- Signed hardcover edition (ships worldwide, estimated Feb 2027)
- Ebook edition
- Backer updates throughout the writing and publication process
The ACE Harness
The cable Ramona built was not a single wire. It was a harness: a main trunk, roughly 100 feet long, with branches fanning out in every direction, each one carrying its own bundle of signals toward the spacecraft. This tier bundles everything together the same way. It adds the
The cable Ramona built was not a single wire. It was a harness: a main trunk, roughly 100 feet long, with branches fanning out in every direction, each one carrying its own bundle of signals toward the spacecraft. This tier bundles everything together the same way. It adds the
5 items included
- Signed hardcover edition (ships worldwide, estimated Feb 2027)
- Ebook edition
- Medusa diagram art print (Kickstarter exclusive)
- Your name in the acknowledgments
- Backer updates throughout the writing and publication process
The Patch Board
The patch board was the interface point where signals were routed and organized before reaching the spacecraft. Every connection in the system passed through it. Nothing reached the test article without being sorted here first. This tier is for the reader who wants to hold a piec
The patch board was the interface point where signals were routed and organized before reaching the spacecraft. Every connection in the system passed through it. Nothing reached the test article without being sorted here first. This tier is for the reader who wants to hold a piec
The Test Conductor
In the ACE control room at North American Aviation in Downey, California, the test conductor ran the room. Engineers at the consoles, technicians on the floor: everyone reported up to the test conductor. Nothing happened without them. This tier is a private lunch for you and one
In the ACE control room at North American Aviation in Downey, California, the test conductor ran the room. Engineers at the consoles, technicians on the floor: everyone reported up to the test conductor. Nothing happened without them. This tier is a private lunch for you and one
7 items included
- Private lunch for backer + 1 guest with Guillermo in Los Angeles (estimated Mar 2027)
- Signed hardcover edition
- Ebook edition
- Medusa diagram art print (Kickstarter exclusive)
- Your name in the acknowledgements
- Original NASA and NARA archival document (delivered as PDF)
- Backer updates throughout the writing and publication process
All gone
The Test Article
Everything in the ACE system existed for one reason: to test the spacecraft. The test article was the thing itself. The center of the whole operation. The reason every wire was crimped, every connector seated, every signal routed. This story exists because of a dinner table. Bec
Everything in the ACE system existed for one reason: to test the spacecraft. The test article was the thing itself. The center of the whole operation. The reason every wire was crimped, every connector seated, every signal routed. This story exists because of a dinner table. Bec
7 items included
- Private lunch for backer + 1 guest with Guillermo and Yaya in Los Angeles (estimated Mar 2027)
- Signed hardcover edition
- Ebook edition
- Medusa diagram art print (Kickstarter exclusive)
- Your name in the acknowledgements
- Original NASA and NARA archival document (delivered as PDF)
- Backer updates throughout the writing and publication process