"If I could choose anyone to tell me the story of humanity in space… I would choose Pedro León. We are not far from celebrating a century since the launch of Sputnik, and the space journey that humanity has traveled in these decades is full of landmark dates—extraordinary moments that blend with astonishing anecdotes and little-known facts. In this book, Pedro León knows how to select and masterfully relate the most fascinating milestones of that history, and present them in a simple yet rigorous way, from the most surreal and amusing curiosities to the darkest tragedies."
— Javier Peláez, writer and science communicator, at Naukas and Catástrofe Ultravioleta

"The history of astronautics, like any great history, is full of curiosities and unforgettable moments. And those moments can be told in a thousand different ways. Over the years, hundreds of books have been published about the exploration of space by humans and machines, but without a doubt, among all of them, this book by Pedro León is one of the best I have ever read. The passion for space found here, together with the mastery in narrating those stories, is rarely encountered—and for that reason, we are facing a true gem in book form."
— Alejandro Polanco, science writer and communicator, at Naukas

"If you thought you already knew everything about space exploration, get ready for more than one surprise. Pedro León has his own style and a very personal voice (direct, even raw at times) that turns the most curious and surprising anecdotes of space exploration into agile, vivid, and yet rigorous narratives. This, his third book, has rhythm, reads easily, and draws a constant smile. This is the good kind of space communication—the kind that hooks you and doesn't let go."
— Juan Carlos Gil, space systems innovation at GMV and science communicator

★A collection of 58 true stories you won't find in documentaries or textbooks. All are strictly based on facts, and most are unknown even to seasoned space enthusiasts. Each chapter reads like a space-themed episode of Black Mirror—astonishing, absurd, tragic, or simply unbelievable—making it utterly compelling and impossible to put down.
★A masterwork by Pedro León, founder of a reference portal in Spanish-language space science communication. More than just an experienced science writer, León has personally participated in scientific missions in collaboration with top-tier institutions such as NASA and the Max Planck Institute.

On July 20, 1969, as the Apollo 11 lunar module descended toward the surface of the Moon, the onboard computer's alarms went off. With less than two minutes to landing, the system began to overload. In Mission Control in Houston, there was absolute silence. What no one knew at the time was that the computer didn't fail because someone had made a mistake, but precisely because someone, years earlier, had had the foresight to program what to do when everything went wrong. That someone was Margaret Hamilton.

Space exploration is full of well-known feats; but behind every mission, every rocket, and every engineer, there are stories that do not appear in documentaries or books. Surprising, outlandish, tragic, or simply incredible episodes that deserve to be told.

In this book, Pedro León brings together fifty-eight of those stories, grouped into nine major chapters: the secrets of the Apollo program, the most accident-prone Soviet missions in history, the most delirious military projects of the Cold War, the pioneering women who broke the glass ceiling at NASA, the moments when the Space Shuttle was on the brink of disaster, the unexpected presence of Spain in the space race, the probes that changed our view of the cosmos, and the most outlandish projects that never got off the ground.

All of them are rigorously true. Most are unknown even to the most seasoned space enthusiasts.

Pedro León (Córdoba, 1970) has spent his entire life looking at the sky. At age 8, he was trying to identify stars with an old book and a small spyglass; at 10, he kept press clippings with space exploration news—which he still preserves; and at 12, the television broadcast of Carl Sagan's Cosmos marked him forever. That early passion became a calling for science communication: in 2002, he founded the portal Sondas Espaciales and later InfoSondas, reference websites for astronautical communication in Spanish. He is president of the AstroInnova Association, has been coordinator and speaker for the Astronomy Area of Campus Party Valencia, and participated in the Daedalus Project, whose IRIS instrument flew on the SunRise II scientific mission, led by the Max Planck Institute, NASA, the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, and the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands. With Guadalmazán he has published Eso no estaba en mi libro de la exploración espacial (That Wasn't in My Space Exploration History Book) and Viajes interestelares. Historia de las sondas Voyager (Interstellar Travel: History of the Voyager Probes).