national-pride

This chapter depicts the catastrophic failure of the Japanese moon rocket program, with two rockets exploding during launch attempts, leading to despair among the engineers and scientists, especially Dr. Müller who ultimately commits suicide. Despite desperate last-minute efforts to salvage the mission by reducing payload and crew, the project is effectively over, and Japan concedes defeat to the Americans and Russians in the race to the moon.

The chapter depicts the intense emotional reactions of the Presidents of the United States and the Soviet Union upon learning that a Japanese scientist, Dr. Kanashima, has become the first human to land on the moon, surpassing their own nations' efforts. The American President is consumed by disbelief and rage, struggling to comprehend the significance of a non-American, non-astronaut achieving this feat. Meanwhile, the Soviet Premier is overwhelmed by sorrow and humiliation, retreating into isolation and despair, unable to share his pain even with close aides.