Final Rocket Launch And Ms Riley example essay topic

Summary This movie is based on a true story which takes place in Coalwood, West Virginia in 1957. The movie October Sky begins with the launching of Sputnik. Ms. Riley's class sits and listens as Sputnik flies through outer space. This captures the attention of a student named Quentin. Quentin is not liked by most of the other students because he is smart and considered a "geek". After seeing Quentin's passion for science and rocket building fellow student Homer Hickam Jr. becomes interested.

Homer asks Quentin one day in lunch if he could teach him everything he knew about rocket building. This upset his friends Roy Lee and Odell because they believed talking to Quentin could be devastating to their reputation. Finally, Homer convinced his friends to help. They began to build rockets and try new and effective ways to get them to fly. In the process, they blew up Elsie's (Homer's Mom) new picket fence.

Without the approval of John Hickam the boys still continue to rocket build. The eventually set up a rocket building laboratory in Homer's basement. They realize that they need help with welding and sanding on their rockets so they ask for the help of employees at the coal mine. After the launch of their first rocket Auk I they are told not to launch anymore rockets on company property and not to seek the help of the employees. Everyday they hike 8 miles to get off company property to launch rockets. They make a launch pad at an abandoned dump site which they call " Cape Coalwood".

After stealing railroad tracks and and making explosives in the chemistry lab they have a launch and many of the people from the town come. This is the first rocket to fly in a semi- straight pattern and not explode. On Homer's 16th birthday he recieves an autographed picture from Werner Von Brahn who has been his inspiration in all of his rocket building. This upsets his father because he believes Homer is wasting his time with rocket building. After many rocket launching's they become known as the " rocket boys". A man from a college comes to talk to the Hickam's and offers Jim a scholarship in football.

One day while at school, the police come and take the boys because they are believed to have set a fire in the woods by a rocket. Ms. Riley becomes upset because she doesn't think children should be sitting in hand cuffs. At the coal mine there is an explosion which kills one and wounds others. Homer's father is critically injured and is sent to the hospital. The doctors tell them they don't know if he will be able to see out of his left eye ever again. Homer decides to quit school and work in the mine since is father and brother are unable to.

Homer works in the mine until his father comes back and he quits. He decides to go back to school and begin rocket building again. This upsets his father and he puts all of his rocket equipment in the rain. After studying very extensively he is able to prove that they didn't start the fire. They later find out that the fire was set by an airplane flare.

The boys decide to enter the state science fair and win. They are then able to go and compete in the nationals in Washington D.C. They are told by the principal that they can only afford to send one and Homer is elected to go. While setting up the rocket display, he realizes his rocket's internal combustion chamber has been stolen. He calls home and asks if they can send him a new one. His dad works on one and sends it to him.

Homer goes to the awards ceremony and finds out that they won the national science fair. As he is walking through the crowd he shared Werner Von Brahn's hand, but he wasn't aware of who it was until a reporter told him. When Homer returns many of his fellow Big Creek peers were there to greet him. He goes and visits Ms. Riley at the hospital who has been sick with Hodgskin's disease. She tells him that she is very proud of him and every year she is going to tell her students about them. The next day, they have a final rocket launch and Ms. Riley is able to see it from her hospital window.

John Hickam came and launched the last rocket.