This book is dedicated to the new generations of Costa Ricans: children, youth and adults, in the hope that it may expand their knowledge about the legacy of opportunities that has been created by a group of visionary Costa Ricans. This special group of men and women have helped lay the foundations for important advances in science and technology and the exploration of the unknown. 

This constellation of Costa Rican born professionals has made important contributions to space exploration carried out by NASA and other space agencies in the world. Successfully planning and achieving the launch of astronauts, satellites and space probes to outer space requires the combined efforts of thousands of people, including scientists, engineers, technicians and interns. In this book we document the paths and efforts that exceptional Costa Ricans citizens took to achieve their dreams at NASA.

Just as the stars guided navigators in ancient times, the Costa Rican stars in NASA have shown us a constellation of possibilities that we never imagined possible before. Their footprints have given us experience, they have given us strength and, above all, they have given us hope. It is the hope that arises from the certainty that we possess the human capital capable of placing Costa Rica on the map of the aerospace industry.