Chapter 88: The True Player In The Space Race
Korolev, the core figure of Soviet Union aerospace, was hailed as the father of Soviet Union aerospace.
On the cover of Time Magazine, Korolev had no face, not even a name, roughly giving the feeling of the black-faced man like Conan.
This was because the other’s identity was highly secretive. America only knew of the existence of such a figure, but knew nothing about his real name and detailed background.
Korolev had only one code name in America: Chief Designer.
It was not until 66 years after Korolev’s death that the West gradually learned of his contributions.
In Time Magazine’s report, Lin Ran and Korolev were mentioned in the same breath, considering Lin Ran as NASA’s Chief Designer:
“The true player in the space race
On the fierce battlefield of the space race, NASA has always lacked representative figures comparable to Soviet Union’s Chief Designer. We once had high hopes for the former NAZI rocket scientist from Germany, von Braun, but undoubtedly he disappointed us over the past five years.
He could not shoulder the heavy responsibility of direct competition with Soviet Union, NASA has always been in a passive chasing process, and couldn’t even manage to chase.
Fortunately, the sudden emergence of Randolph Lin gave NASA a figure sufficient to be mentioned in the same breath with the Chief Designer.
This master-level figure in the number theory field achieved the moon landing and photography of the Pioneer Probe in just three months, proving himself to be not only a number theory master but also a top-tier aerospace talent.
As the creator of NASA’s bold leap: the Pioneer Probe’s daring hard landing on the moon. These two players in the space race gaze at each other across the Iron Curtain, yet together on the journey chasing the stars, they write humanity’s destiny. A silent duel echoes in the sky.
Soviet Union enigma: Chief Designer
To the free world, he is a ghost—a nameless, faceless person, but his influence manifests with every Soviet Union rocket piercing the sky.
America calls him “Chief Designer”; he is the elusive core figure in Soviet Union’s space program, his true identity tightly locked behind the Kremlin’s Iron Curtain. Under his secret command, Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first satellite, in 1957, deterring the West. Going further, his genius sent Yuri Gagarin into space, making this young astronaut humanity’s first explorer to break through the atmosphere.
Who exactly is this mysterious master? The Pentagon anxiously searches for clues, piecing together rumors from defectors and moles. Some say he endured in the Gulag, ultimately forging his talent; others guess he is a technocrat personally promoted by red high-level officials. The only certainty is that his achievements have propelled Soviet Union to the peak of space exploration, and his next plan leaves the West both curious and fearful. Manned moon landing? Or satellites spying on the starry sky? Behind the Iron Curtain, his layout is unknown to anyone.
Randolph Lin: America’s top-tier genius
If the Chief Designer is Moscow’s trump card, Lin Ran is Washington’s secret weapon.
This suddenly emerged mathematics master abruptly parachuted into NASA, triggering tsunami-like opposition voices in Washington; the specially convened hearing failed to block him from NASA’s door.
We need to be glad that the White House trusted Randolph enough and did not abandon Randolph’s appointment due to the Elephant Party’s opposition voices. NASA’s colleagues describe him as a tyrant, often verbally abusing colleagues, but no one denies that his mind works miracles, easily solving the most thorny difficult problems.
After the wake-up call of Sputnik, Lin Ran was spotted by the White House and became Special Assistant for Aerospace Affairs, quickly becoming NASA’s Shadow Director, hailed as indispensable to NASA.
His peak work this time is the Pioneer 5 probe, which he led to the moon with nearly perfect precise calculations.
When the probe rushed toward the lunar surface, its camera captured stunning images of the moon’s sky, with Earth clearly visible in the cold light. After transmission back to Earth, these shocking photos are a testament to Lin Ran’s talent and a victory of America’s wisdom.
The success of Pioneer 5 was by no means a fluke.
Previous attempts either got lost in the void or deviated from trajectory, but Randolph’s meticulous thinking turned dreams into reality. The probe rushed toward the moon and captured scenes of the moon’s sky.
For America, the moon is no longer a distant illusion, but a territory close at hand, its mysteries to be unveiled by NASA’s player firsthand.
This victory is expected to reverse the situation in the space race. The moon was once Soviet Union’s mockery, but now bears America’s mark.
Despite oceans and ideology separating Randolph and the Chief Designer, they are closely linked under the common goal of conquering space, an intellectual contest where rockets are pawns and the solar system is the chessboard.
The whole world holds its breath in anticipation.
This is not only a contest, but a clash of two worlds.
The Chief Designer represents Soviet Union’s grand structure—concentrating efforts to drive the collective toward the stars. Randolph symbolizes the American spirit: a genius turning history with personal power. Their duel is silent, yet leaves traces in every launch.
With the arrival of the 1960s, the space race grows ever hotter. Will the Chief Designer counter with a lunar astronaut to consolidate the red threat’s leading position?
Or will Lin Ran and NASA seize the ultimate laurel? The answer lies in the minds of these two players, brewing behind closed doors; they will shine through the fiery trajectories of rockets.
In this magnificent legend, they are the true pioneers, while we are mere witnesses, marveling endlessly at this space race.”
While other newspapers focused on the photos transmitted from space, Time Magazine always found different angles to portray the figures behind the event.
This is also the fundamental reason it stands unshaken across history.
Time Magazine’s special issue placing Lin Ran and Korolev together was hugely popular, with sales over 30% higher than usual.
For the White House, it also swept away the Bay of Pigs gloom, finally winning once.
No matter how Soviet Union and its allies’ media propagandized that America didn’t win, transmitted photos don’t count, Soviet Union’s Luna 2 could do it too, but they chose not to bring a camera for more important data transmission.
But it was useless.
Because reality is that NASA brought back photos, while Soviet Union brought back cold, hard numbers.
On the propaganda level, compared to photos, cold, hard numbers are no match.
On the White House side, Kennedy personally awarded the NASA high-level officials the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, naturally including Lin Ran.
After the award ceremony, Kennedy kept Lin Ran at the White House for lunch. At the table, Kennedy said:
“Randolph, get ready. England is going to commission you. You were supposed to go earlier, but we’ve been holding you back here.”
