<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si1.svg"> <mml:mi mathvariant="double-struck">Z</mml:mi> <mml:mo stretchy="false">/</mml:mo> <mml:mn>2</mml:mn> </mml:math> -Godeaux surfaces

We prove that the moduli space of numerical Godeaux surfaces with torsion group Z / 2 is irreducible and unirational of dimension 8. Moreover, we show that the topological fundamental group of these surfaces is also Z / 2 . Our approach is based on the explicit construction of equations for all universal covers of numerical Godeaux surfaces with torsion group Z / 2 .