Dallas Campbell, Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association (BSA), has a brilliant new book out.

The TV presenter and space aficionado has done lots to support the BSA over the last few years, appearing at the British Science Festival and most recently narrating Run the Solar System, our space-themed running app.

Dallas speaking at the 2015 British Science Festival

Space is one of Dallas’ passions. So, he’s written a book about it. Ad Astra: An Illustrated Guide to Leaving the Planet hit shelves last week and already has rave reviews.

Richard Osman describes it as “a wonderful, wise and witty guide for space explorers everywhere.”

The first Britain in space, Helen Sharman OBE, says it’s “a must have volume for astronauts and armchair astronauts alike.”

Dallas has always had a fascination and curiosity about the world, but he isn’t an academic and doesn’t have a science degree. You may think this would be a disadvantage to his work, but instead it plays to his favour. He’s made it his mission to show that science isn’t a subject that you just do at school. It impacts every aspect of our lives, so is important to everyone in some way. And it’s also fascinating.  

His new book evokes the wonder that we can all feel about science, and more specifically space exploration, even if you’re not a professional scientist. It contains a wonderful, illustrated medley of space travel stories – some real, some not. It’s fascinating, witty and imaginative, with hints and nods to some of his own personal favourites.

Dallas’ new book is available to buy now

In an interview with Yakult UK’s Digest Newsletter to celebrate Run the Solar System, which is supported by Yakult, Dallas revealed that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams is one of his most loved stories. He describes Douglas Adams as a great hero of his, so it’s easy to see where the spark of inspiration came from which led him to pen his own book about cosmic travel.

His belief in the importance of science shines through in the book. He champions the inspirational quality of it. One line from the Digest interview is particularly channelled in his writing – “the stories of science capture a sense of wonder”.

As Helen Sharman says in her review, this is a read for astronauts and armchair astronauts alike. So, if you’ve ever looked up into the skies or dreamed about leaving the planet, grab this book and start planning your adventure.

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Ad Astra! Here’s how you can head to the stars with Dallas Campbell and the British Science Association:

Download our celestial running app, Run the Solar System: www.runthesolarsystem.com

Buy a copy of Ad Astra: An illustrated guide to leaving the planet: http://www.simonandschuster.co.uk/books/Ad-Astra-An-Illustrated-Guide-to-Leaving-the-Planet/Dallas-Campbell/9781471164064

Read Yakult UK’s full interview with Dallas Campbell here: http://www.yakult.co.uk/Yakult-Digest-Spring-2017-UK.pdf