The First Spaceman: The Glory of Spaceflight-And the Terrible Price of Survival

The world is given twenty-four hours to surrender. A vast alien armada waits beyond the atmosphere, silent and confident that humanity will yield.

Instead, Earth launches a single rocket.

At the controls sits Rogers, a young pilot chosen to meet the invaders alone. The mission is simple to describe and nearly impossible to survive. One ship, one atomic warhead, and an enemy fleet numbering in the hundreds. If Rogers fails, the planet dies with him.

Out in the silent black of space, the battle ...