General Non-Fiction

Homo Caelestis

(Homo caelestis – The Incredible Story of How We Will Be)

Casa Editrice Longanesi&C., September 2021, pp.224

3 editions

Winner of the Robinson (weekly cultural supplement of La Repubblica) Non-Fiction Competition

Full English version available

An extraordinary new voice in science popularization.

A high-ranking official of the European Space Agency guides us through a spellbinding reflection on the relationship humans of the new millennium have and increasingly will have with the cosmos in which we live: the Sapiens sapiens is ready to become the Homo caelestis.

The human being of the new millennium will install a station on the Moon, go to Mars and engineer it, launch interplanetary flights and cross the frontier that separates us from deep space. This is something Tommaso Ghidini knows well, since he’s only ever had one dream: to fly. He has turned his passion into a career. Consequently, with visionary lucidity, exceptional passion and total competence, he is able to lead us through the entire arc of a human being’s life, telling us about the deep rapport of attraction and challenge that has always bound man and space. While touching on the most fascinating mysteries of the Universe, his exploration projects us into a future that is now practically within our reach.

Casa Editrice Longanesi&C., September 2021, pp.224

  • “(Tommaso Ghidini) talks about cosmogony, and astronautical missions and omissions with scientific precision and narrative flair, creating a kind of awareness of the universe.”

    Il Venerdì

  • “A brilliant book! Insightful and wonderfully written. You don’t see much page-turning nonfiction, but this book is definitely a shining example!”

    Jeffery Deaver, author of "The Bone Collector" and "Hunting Time"

  • “Ghidini’s experience, skill and, above all, his passion for space capture you and won’t let you go even after you’ve finished the book. It’s not ‘just’ about discoveries: you detect dreams, curiosity, the confidence in his own skills, and the humility to learn from his mistakes.” 

    Anna Simoniato, Robinson, La Repubblica

Rights Sold

Poland: Copernicus Center Press.

Tommaso Ghidini

Tommaso Ghidini is a mechanical engineer with a PhD in Experimental and Numerical Fracture Mechanics at the Institute of Materials Research of the German Aerospace Centre. He is head of the division whose task is to guarantee the structural integrity of the entire range of space programs and missions at the European Space Agency (ESA). He also coordinates the European project of developing 3D printing for space applications, a strategic technology for the forthcoming Moon and Mars missions. He also works for the Department of Mechanics at the Milan Polytechnic, where he has taught the first European course on 3D printing of space components, aimed at mechanical and aerospace engineering students. Official spokesperson for the ESA, he is very active in the popularization of science and gives very popular talks. In parallel with his academic activities, he constantly cultivates his great passion for flying.

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