A.I. reads "Rendezvous with Rama" by Arthur C. Clarke.

Описание: *Rendezvous with Rama — Summary*

In the year **2130**, astronomers detect a massive, perfectly cylindrical object entering the Solar System. Initially classified as an asteroid and named **Rama**, it quickly becomes clear that this is no natural body. It is an **enormous alien starship**, 50 km long and 20 km wide, spinning to create artificial gravity.

Humanity dispatches the exploration vessel *Endeavour**, commanded by **Commander Bill Norton**, to intercept Rama before it slingshots around the Sun and disappears forever. With only a short window to investigate, the crew enters through an airlock and discovers a vast, hollow interior—an entire **world-cylinder* with its own “sky,” frozen landscapes, and a central sea called the **Cylindrical Sea**.

As Rama warms in sunlight, the interior comes to life. Light returns, the air thaws, and strange biots—**biological-robotic creatures**—begin moving through the environment, maintaining and repairing the ship. The explorers realize Rama is not a derelict but a functioning, self-contained ecosystem designed for long-duration travel.

Despite their efforts, the crew never encounters the Ramans themselves. Everything inside the craft is purposeful yet opaque, hinting at a civilization far more advanced and uninterested in human contact. Humanity is left to observe, measure, and speculate.

As Rama approaches perihelion, it performs a dramatic maneuver: using the Sun’s gravity and its own propulsion, it accelerates out of the Solar System, continuing its silent journey to the stars. The Endeavour crew can only watch as the alien vessel departs, its mysteries largely intact.

The novel closes on Clarke’s famous thematic note:
*“The Ramans do everything in threes.”*
A hint that this encounter may not be humanity’s last.