space-race

The chapter introduces the tense space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, focusing on two key engineers, Reinhold Hoffmann and Konrad Schneider, who lead competing atomic drive projects for space exploration. As both prepare their ships for launch, the unexpected arrival of massive alien ships signals that humanity has been surpassed by a far more advanced extraterrestrial presence, ending the human race's solitude in the universe. This moment marks a profound shift in human history, overshadowing all previous achievements.