When the Soviet satellite Sputnik flies over Coalwood, in 1957, teen Homer Hickam's dreams and destiny change forever. Set in the small coal-mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia, Homer is your average underachieving teenager destined and expected to follow in his father's footsteps, which would see him in the role of an underground coal miner. The launching of the Soviet satellite Sputnik changes him forever; he sees a future for himself other than a life of …showed first 75 words of 643 total…

…showed last 75 words of 643 total…never succeeded their dreams. As one can see, Homer’s success cannot be all credited to him, although he was the driving factor. Along his way toward his dream, he received help from his fellow Rocket Boy’s, Miss Riley, Ike Bykovski, Leon Bolding, and numerous others in the community. When one looks at it, the Rocket Boy’s could actually be called the Rocket Community, because in the end, it was a community effort.