The first book in the new series "The Secrets of the Universe" is an exciting exploration, through all the missions and steps of the human species, of the vast "sea" of space. "All men by nature desire to know" - Aristotle. Starting with two myths, that of Daedalus and Icarus, as well as that of the mandarin Wan Hu and the first -unsuccessful- attempt to fly into the unknown of space, Dionysis Simopoulos guides the reader through the paths of space exploration.   From the first macaque, Albert II, and the famous dog Laika, to the creation of NASA, the Russian cosmonauts, Kennedy and the Apollo program, the tentative first steps on the surface of the Moon, the competition in the space race and the political decisions, the struggle for survival, the failures and the modern astronauts. A virtual, thrilling journey through all those emotions that the past century has given us, is carried out in a clear and explanatory manner and through the rich illustration of the book.       Dionysis Simopoulos gathers material from over 50 years, through his personal reports in the press on space missions, his extensive articles and photographs, and presents his magnum opus to the Greek public.   "The Great Adventure in Space" presents to the Greek public the missions and the first steps of the human species in the vast sea of space. It is an authentic and complete narrative because the author is a deep connoisseur of the subject and not only that. His writing is simple and understandable, yet vivid, poetic, and philosophical at the same time, as another significant contribution of Mr. Simopoulos to the reading public of the country. I enthusiastically recommend it."   Stamatis Krimizis, Academic, Emeritus Director of the Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University.   "In his new book, Dionysis Simopoulos takes us on a journey with brief but comprehensive steps through the history of the effort to escape Earth's gravity and 'conquer' the interplanetary environment, a journey that moves from imagination to reality, from historical past to the present that gazes into the future, from science fiction to interplanetary exploration and the first hesitant yet solid steps of peaceful 'conquest' of our planetary system."   Manolis Pleionis, Professor at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, President and General Director of the National Observatory of Athens.     New series: "The Secrets of the Universe" The Universe, and everything it includes, is full of enigmas hidden in the bright paths of colorful stars and strange planets. This new series of illustrated books presents everything that modern scientists have discovered in recent years, with the help of the instruments they have at observatories, accelerators, observatories, and spacecraft, about the various wonders that the Universe includes. Author's biography Dionysis Simopoulos is an astrophysicist, honorary director of the Eugenides Planetarium. His career began in the fall of 1967, and he served as Planetarium director at the Louisiana Arts and Sciences Center (USA, 1969-1973) for four years and, in Greece, for 41 years at the Eugenides Planetarium (1973-2014).

He has published hundreds of articles in Greek and foreign magazines and newspapers, authored 31 popular astronomy books, more than 500 scientific education scripts for television, 200 planetarium multimedia show scripts, and has given over 600 lectures across the country. He served as President of the European Association for Astronomy Education (1994-2002), a member of the Board of Directors of the International Planetarium Society (1978-2008), General Secretary of the European and Mediterranean Planetariums Association (1976-2008), Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the International Planetarium Society, and a regular member of many other international scientific organizations. In 1996, he received the highest honorary distinction of the International Planetarium Society (IPS Service Award) for his contribution to international astronomy education, while in 2006 he was honored with the Academic Palm (Palmes Académiques) of the French Republic. In 2012, the Hellenic Physical Society honored him in a special event as a "pioneer of the popularization of scientific discourse in Greece," while in 2015 he received the Academy of Athens Award "for his overall contribution to the popularization and dissemination of Astronomy." In 2018, he received the Silver Palm medal, the highest honorary distinction of the Greek Scouts Association, for "outstanding and distinguished services."