The first book in the new series "The Secrets of the Universe" is an exciting exploration, through all the missions and steps of humanity, of the vast "sea" of outer 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 Wang Hu and the first – unsuccessful – attempt to fly into the unknown of space, Dionysios Simopoulos guides the reader through the paths of space exploration.

From the first monkey, Albert II, and the famous dog Laika, to the creation of NASA, the Russian cosmonauts, Kennedy, and the Apollo program, the first hesitant steps on the Moon's surface, the competition in the space race, and the political decisions, the anxiety for survival, the failures, and the modern astronauts. A virtual, thrilling journey through all the emotions bestowed upon us by the past century is presented in a clear and explanatory manner through the book's rich illustrations.

Dionysios Simopoulos gathers material from over 50 years, through his personal reports to the press on space missions, his extensive articles, and photographs, and presents to the Greek public his magnum opus.

"The Great Adventure in Space" presents to the Greek public the missions and the first steps of humanity in the vast sea of space. It is an authentic and comprehensive narrative because the author is a profound expert on the subject and much more. His writing is simple and understandable, yet vivid, poetic, and philosophical at the same time, as yet another significant contribution from Mr. Simopoulos to the reading public of the country.

New series: "The Secrets of the Universe". The Universe, and all that it contains, is full of mysteries hidden in the bright paths of colorful stars and strange planets. This new series of illustrated books presents all that modern scientists have discovered in recent years, with the help of the instruments available at observatories, particle accelerators, observatories, and spaceships, regarding the various wonders contained in the Universe.

Author's biography: Dionysios Simopoulos is an astrophysicist, honorary director of the Eugenides Planetarium. His career began in the fall of 1967, and he served as director of the Planetarium at the Center for Arts and Sciences of Louisiana (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 science books on astronomy, more than 500 scripts for educational television, 200 scripts for planetarium multimedia shows, and has given over 600 lectures throughout the country.

He served as President of the European Union for Astronomy Education (1994-2002), a board member of the International Planetarium Society (1978-2008), General Secretary of the Association of European and Mediterranean Planetariums (1976-2008), Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the International Planetarium Society, and a regular member of many other international scientific organizations.

This work incorporates the knowledge and experience of a leading scientist in a unique way, providing the reader with a complete picture of space exploration.