October Sky
October Sky is a 1999 American biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston, and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. The screenplay by Lewis Colick, based on the book of the same name, tells the story of Homer H. Hickam Jr., a coal miner's son who was inspired by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957 to take up rocketry against his father's wishes and eventually became a NASA engineer.
Plot
In October 1957, news of the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik 1 reaches Homer Hickam in the mining community of Coalwood, West Virginia. Homer is inspired to build his own rockets despite the skepticism of his friends and family, especially his father; John Hickam, who wants his son to work in the mines.