October Sky is a 1999 American biographical drama film directed by Joe Johnston and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Chris Owen, and Laura Dern. It is based on the true story of Homer H. 
In October 1957, news of the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik 1 reaches the town of Coalwood, West Virginia, where most residents work in the coal mines. As the townspeople gather outside to see the satellite orbit across the sky, Homer Hickam is inspired to build his own rockets to escape Coalwood. His family and classmates’ do not respond kindly, especially his father John, the mine superintendent, who wants Homer to join him in the mines.
