#homer h. hickam jr.

[addictivecontradiction]

October sky, 1999

[vendriin]

October Sky (1999)

[in-love-with-movies]

October Sky (USA, 1999)

[thecolorsinouruniverse]

there's a plan. if you're willing to fight it hard enough, you can make it detour for a while, but you're still going to end up wherever God wants you to be.

homer h hickam jr, rocket boys

[skipsahmedabad]

On July 22nd, the movie club had a screening of the American biographical movie “October Sky‘ at the auditorium of St. Kabir Institute of Professional Studies.

[busychasingclouds]

“It is based on the true 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. "October Sky" is based on the lives of four young men who grew up in Coalwood, West Virginia.”

I was actually sweeping during Homer and his dad scenes. I just want to say this movie is a must-see. Heart warming. Inspiring.

October Sky (1999)

[fair-lead]

god I just finished Rocket Boys by Homer H Hickam Jr and i cried

[sciencespies]

White House updates membership of Space Council advisory group

https://sciencespies.com/space/white-house-updates-membership-of-space-council-advisory-group/

White House updates membership of Space Council advisory group

WASHINGTON — The White House has updated the membership of an advisory group for the National Space Council, replacing four original members of the committee with five people, including a former member of Congress.

In a May 15 statement, Vice President Mike Pence, who chairs the National Space Council, announced the revised roster of the National Space Council’s Users’ Advisory Group (UAG). The members serve as what Pence once called the “brain trust” for the council, providing insights and recommendations.

Among the new members is John Culberson, a former member of the House from Texas who lost reelection in 2018. He had been chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that funded NASA, and served as an advocate for many agency initiatives, from exploration programs to a planetary science mission called Europa Clipper that will fly to an icy, potentially habitable moon of Jupiter.

Other new members include Eileen Drake, the president and chief executive of Aerojet Rocketdyne; Bruce Jakosky, a University of Colorado professor who is the principal investigator for NASA’s MAVEN Mars orbiter; Jeanette Nuñez, lieutenant governor of the state of Florida and board chairman for state space development agency Space Florida; and James D. Taiclet, Jr., a member of the board of Lockheed Martin who will become president and chief executive of the company on June 15.

Four members of the original UAG were not nominated for new two-year terms. They include Marillyn Hewson, who is stepping down as Lockheed Martin president and chief executive June 15, and David Thompson, who had been president and chief executive of Orbital ATK prior to its acquisition by Northrop Grumman. Steve Crisafulli, former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and Eric Schmidt, former chief executive and executive chairman of Google, are also not returning to the UAG.

The UAG has held four public meetings since being established in 2018, most recently in October 2019. The group has dealt with a wide range of issues, but is perhaps best known for its criticism of NASA’s lunar exploration plans at a November 2018 meeting, arguing that the agency’s goal at the time of landing humans on the moon by 2028 was too slow. A little more than four months later, Pence announced the new 2024 goal for a human lunar return.

Some have criticized the UAG, though, for representing companies that produce rockets and satellites rather than actual users of space. “A great group of people, but again, no real commercial operators (i.e., USERS) of space,” tweeted Matt Desch, chief executive of satellite operator Iridium, after the new UAG roster was announced. “It’s focused on SUPPLIERS.”

The White House, in its announcement of the UAG membership, did not mention when the group will next meet. A March 30 meeting that was to take place during the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs was postponed, along with the conference itself, because of the pandemic. While the conference has been rescheduled for the end of October, the administration has not announced a new time or location for the next UAG meeting.

The full membership of the UAG is as follows:

Admiral James Ellis, Jr., USN, Retired (Chair, Users’ Advisory Group) Former Commander, United States Strategic Command; member of the Space Foundation Board of Directors

Dr. Buzz Aldrin, USAF, Retired Apollo 11 astronaut

Tory Bruno President and CEO, United Launch Alliance

David Calhoun President and CEO, The Boeing Company

Dean Cheng Scholar at the Heritage Foundation

Colonel Eileen Collins, USAF, Retired Four-time shuttle astronaut, first female shuttle commander

The Honorable John Culberson Former U.S. Congressman, Texas

Dr. Mary Lynne Dittmar President and CEO, Coalition for Deep Space Exploration

Eileen Drake President and CEO, Aerojet Rocketdyne

Tim Ellis CEO, Relativity Space

Homer Hickam Board Member, U. S. Space & Rocket Center; former NASA Marshall Spacef Flight Center engineer; Author of “Rocket Boys”

The Honorable Kay Ivey Governor of Alabama

Dr. Bruce Jakosky Professor of Atmosphere and Space Physics, University of Colorado

Fred Klipsch Board of Trustees, Marian University; Chairman and CEO, Klipsch Audio Technologies, Retired

General Les Lyles, USAF, Retired Chairman, NASA Advisory Council

Colonel Pam Melroy, USAF, Retired Three-time shuttle astronaut, former Deputy Director of the Tactical Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

The Honorable Jeanette Nuñez Lieutenant Governor of Florida, Chairman of the Board, Space Florida

Fatih Ozmen CEO, Sierra Nevada Corporation

The Honorable Harrison H. Schmitt Former United States Senator, New Mexico; Apollo 17 astronaut

Gwynne Shotwell President and COO, SpaceX

Dr. Robert H. Smith CEO, Blue Origin

Eric Stallmer President, Commercial Spaceflight Federation

James D. Taiclet, Jr. Board member, Lockheed Martin Corporation

Pamela Vaughan STEM Integration Specialist for the Arkansas Department of Education

Mandy Vaughn President, VOX Space

Kathy Warden Chairman, CEO, and President, Northrop Grumman Corporation

Stuart O. Witt Former Navy pilot; founder, Mojave Air and Spaceport; former chairman of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation

David Wolf, M.D. Four-time shuttle astronaut, Purdue University

#Space

[asexual-supporting-character]

Books You Should Read

If you are anything like me, then these books should pique your interest. I have read all of these, and they are amazing. So, here you go.

Shadow On the Mountain by Margi Preus (Based on Erling Storrusten’s escapades as a courier during WWII. This is seriously one of the greatest books I have ever read. I’ve read it 4 times now, and it never gets old.)

The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict by Trenton Lee Stewart (This one is sort of a middle-school level book, but it is so good that I hope you can look past it. It deals with a young genius orphan at an orphanage called ‘Child’s End.’ I’m not doing it justice. I have also read this multiple times, and I love it even more each time.)

The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg (About a group of gifted students who are part of an unstoppable Academic Bowl team. It mostly focuses on their backstories and relationship, though.)

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages (All about the children of the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project in WWII. It is a very mature book and appeals more to teens and adults.)

Train I Ride by Paul Mosier (It focuses on a girl called “Rydr”’s cross country trip on a train. I read it in 6 hours the day I checked it out from the library.)

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne (Another WWII novel by John Boyne. It’s not as sad as The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, but still has a really powerful message. It’s also longer and more mature.)

The Property by Rutu Modan (A graphic novel about a woman and her granddaughter travelling from Israel to Poland to reclaim their property lost during WWII.)

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll (A horror anthology in graphic novel form.)

The Son of Someone Famous by M.E. Kerr (One of the protagonists is not straight! It never explicitly defined her sexuality, but it opens with her saying she has a crush on Christine.)

Journal #3 by Alex Hirsch (Even if you’ve never seen the show, this book will still be entertaining to read as you watch the fictional author’s descent into madness. It’s great. Also, slight homoerotic subtext. So there’s that.)

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs (A group of children with odd abilities and powers. Recommended for teenagers and adults, as it has very heavy language. Accompanied by some of the creepiest photographs you’ll ever see.)

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (16 heirs of a paper mogul must figure out who among them murdered him in order to win his 200 million dollar fortune.)

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston (WARNING: Do not read this book if blood makes you squeamish or you are a giant germophobe. But, it has been described by Stephen King as one of the scatiest books he’s ever read, so...)

I Don’t Know How the Story Ends by J.B. Cheaney (Early Hollywood. The greatest silent movie stars. An eccentric cast of characters. What more can I say?)

Rocket Boys by Homer H. Hickam Jr. (An autobiography about how he and his friends began making rockets after seeing Sputnik orbit over their small town in West Virginia. It was made into a movie called October Sky with Jake Gyllenhall!)

I can post more later, but these are just 15 of the greatest books I’ve ever read. Enjoy!

[addictivecontradiction]

October sky, 1999

[thecolorsinouruniverse]

i know you love living. it shows right through you.

homer h hickam jr, rocket boys

[addictivecontradiction]

October sky, 1999

[addictivecontradiction]

October sky, 1999

[addictivecontradiction]

October sky, 1999

[addictivecontradiction]

October sky, 1999

[thecolorsinouruniverse]

i drink sometimes so i don't have to think. other times just because it feels good. there's nothing wrong with that you know- feeling good.

homer h hickam jr, rocket boys