In October 1957, news of the Soviet Union 's launch of Sputnik 1 reaches the town of Coalwood, where most people work in the coal mines. As the townspeople gather outside on the night of the broadcast, they see the satellite orbit across the sky. Homer H. Hickam Jr., filled with awe, sets out to build his own rockets to hopefully get out of Coalwood. His family and classmates ' do not respond kindly, especially his father and the mine superintendent, John, who wants Homer to join him in the mines.
october sky at the beginning of the movie what was the radio announcement about
the Soviet Union 's launch of Sputnik 1