Blog #11

"October Sky," was a movie based upon a man named Homer Hickam who followed his heart and created a rocket that went soaring through the sky. Currently, Homer Hickam is a retired NASA scientist who had to work very hard in order to reach his goals. Being a young boy from the town where everyone had to start mining at some point, Homer was also expected to do the same. Although he was provided education, it was pretty obvious that it wouldn't be of any use unless he got out of town through a football scholorship. The coal was needed for heat, or to produce energy in the form of steam. This energy was then used to power vehicles such as boats and trains and was also used to power other machines. Even though coal was necessary for heating and other uses, it was also created a major health issue. Working in coal mines usually caused back lung, a disease that was caused due to breathing in the fumes from the mines. Instead of working in such a place, Homer had other plans. While looking up into the starry night sky and watching Sputnik zoom by, Homer was very intruiged by the idea of rockets or satellites going up into space. Sputnik was the very first satellite that was launched into space by the Russians. To Homer, creating a rocket that could go up into space just like the Sputnik was something that pushed him further into trying out this idea and winning the science fair that his teacher, Ms. Riley, encouraged him to enter. Creating something from scratch always needs patience and self-control in order for the process to go right. Homer and his group of friends showed self-control and worked hard to improve their creation. After many failures, they finally created a rocket that flew high into the sky and also got Homer out of town and on his way to the science fair. Throughout all this, Homer came across many obstacles that prevented him from achieving great success. At first, Homer's father disapproved of his son's hobby and threw away all his materials. However, Homer managed to continue building and trying to get his rockets to fly. Later on, when Homer came home from the science fair, he also brought with him a medal that indiacated that he had won first prize. By working hard and showing traits such as cooperation and self-control, Homer Hickam proved that he could create a rocket and also won a medal for it. This shows that by working hard, one can go very far.