YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS: Garik Israelian presents the first copy to Stephen Hawking, the author of the foreword, who later today sets out from Southampton to Tenerife to headline Starmus 2014. The organization also releases unpublished material from the first festival: the video 108 minutes of the round table discussions and a video interview with the cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. A book signing will be organized at the festival; the book will be available for sale at the festival and on the Starmus official website.  

Just two weeks before the Starmus Festival 2014, the organizers launch Starmus, 50 years of man in space, a book about the first Starmus festival. During the launch, held in the British city of Southampton, Garik Israelian, the festival's founder, had introduced Stephen Hawking, the author of the foreword, presenting the first book copy, before Hawking set sail to Tenerife.

"I'm bringing with me the first copies of the Starmus book about the first Starmus Festival that took place in 2011. This is a historical document, because it contains the last lecture by Neil Armstrong and talks by the Soviet and Apollo astronauts, as well as the rest of the festival material. I wrote the foreword of the first Starmus book and I'm really looking forward to participating in the second edition," stated Professor Stephen Hawking.

The publication's editors in chief are Garik Israelian and Brian May, and the executive editor is David Eicher, the editor-in-chief of the Astronomy magazine. With a foreword by Hawking, the book is dedicated to Yuri Gagarin and Neil Armstrong and contains their published papers.

"The history of Starmus seems as improbable as the Apollo 11 mission and the phenomenon of Stephen Hawking. This inspired us to publish the book in which we captured the incredible experience of Starmus for scientific dissemination," stated Garik Israelian.

Together with the book the organization has released unpublished material from the first festival: a video entitled 108 minutes about the round table discussion in the La Palma Observatory with a prestigious panel of speakers such as Neil Armstrong, Alexei Leonov, Brian May and Buzz Aldrin, among many others, as well as an interview with the cosmonaut Alexei Leonov.

Driven by Garik Israelian and sponsored by the Government of the Canary Islands and the Council of Tenerife, the second festival entitled Beginnings. The Making of the Modern Cosmos, to be held from the 22nd to 27th of September, will bring together a line-up of internationally renowned participants. According to its director: "Having Stephen Hawking, Brian May,Richard Dawkins and many other leading lights in Tenerife at the same time is like having an extremely unique supernova explode - a supernova that creates a black hole attracting enthusiasts from all over the world."

As a model astro-touristic destination, demonstrated by the EU Sky Route project, Tenerife will be an exceptional festival venue.