Elma York is on her way to Mars, but the Moon colony is still being established. Fellow Lady Astronaut Nicole Wargin is thrilled to be one of those pioneer settlers, using her considerable flight and political skills to keep the program on track. But she is less happy that her husband, the Governor of Kansas, is considering a run for President. The climate disaster of the Meteor strike becomes clear as food shortages occur. Riots and sabotage plague the space program. The IAC's goal of getting as many people as possible off Earth before it becomes uninhabitable is being threatened. -- adapted from jacket