Personnel

Name..................................................... Koenig, John Robert

Date of Birth................................................. March 17, 1957

Place of Birth...................................Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

Assigned Alpha..........................................September 9, 1999

Job Assignment....................................................Commander

John Koenig's interest in the space program goes back to the 1960's when as a schoolboy, he watched Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon, and imagined that one day, he too, would journey into space. His dream came true in the early 1980's when as an ambitious NASA cadet, he planned and flew a number of important deep space missions. Assigned to Moonbase Alpha's Reconnaissance section in 1996, Koenig was responsible for setting up the ill-fated Ultra Probe mission which ended in disaster for the crew and a temporary grounding for himself. Not one to be kept down, he returned on September 9, 1999 to Alpha as Commander. He has an unmatched flair for leadership, sharing his concern for the scientific aspects of a job with the consideration for the safety and well being of those working beside him. John Koenig has a highly efficient mind and, apparently, nerves of steel. he also has the ability to observe a situation from every possible angle, sometimes causing an emotional strain that is apt to make him short tempered, and moody. Yet despite, or perhaps because of these qualities, the men and women of the runaway Moon look to him for guidance in their times of need. He has been married, but his wife, Jean, was killed while on vacation in Switzerland, by the explosion of a thermonuclear device of unknown origin, during the Third World War of 1987. He may have grown up in the space age, but one suspects he is not too happy with the state of humanity as it nears the 21st century. He is, perhaps, best described as a man with one foot in the past and one about to set down in the future.

Name...................................................Russell, Helena Susan

Date of Birth...................................................August 5, 1960

Place of Birth.......................................Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.

Assigned Alpha...........................................February 23, 1999

Job Assignment.......................................Chief Medical Officer

A physician's daughter, Helena entered medical school shortly after her father's death. Following in his medical footsteps, she became one of the top experts in her chosen field of space medicine. Helena worked for the World Space Commission, where she met and later married astronaught Lee Russell. The marriage ended abruptly when he disappeared on the Astro 7 mission, in orbit around Jupiter, January 15,1996. She retreated into the routine and security of her job until she developed a strong attachment to Commander John Koenig. Since joining the Space Service in 1992, Dr. Russell has won many awards for her achievements in space medicine. When the space dock and Moonbase Alpha were constructed, duty periods were generally one to two months in length. The sterile atmosphere was found to cause restlessness and tension among the Alpha personnel. Efficiency suffered. Under Dr. Russell's guidance, many of the recreation rooms were transformed into exotic gardens with lush, tropical plants. This Earth-like atmosphere helped reduce tensions and boosted morale and productivity significantly. Dr. Russell was lauded for her work, and was later assigned to the Moonbase Alpha as Chief Medical Officer.