Homer Hickam was a coal miner turned engineer from the Appalachian region. He earned a degree in industrial engineering and had a career in aerospace, even working for NASA. View this October Sky movie trailer to get an overview of Homer’s story.  Homer built several rockets from available materials. Your challenge today is to design and build a rocket using recycled and/or materials at home.

Today, you will become an engineer like Homer Hickam!

Step 1: Rockets are amazing, soaring out of our atmosphere and into outer space. Watch this National Geographic video about rockets. Pay attention to the shapes of rockets. How might the shape change how a rocket moves? Here are a few NASA images of rockets to view. 

Step 2: Sketch the shape of your rocket. You can add this to your Da Vinci Notebook. Gather recyclable items like plastic bottles, cardboard, paper towel roll, egg carton, or cereal box. Gather other items such as tape, markers, paper, scissors, and foil. 

Step 3: Assemble your rocket using the materials you have gathered in Step 2. Ask an adult for help if cutting or using hot glue. Here is an example of a recycled rocket design. Need some inspiration? Watch this video turning a recycled bottle into a rocket.

Step 4: Interested in sending a postcard to space? Check out Club for the Future’s website to find out how. Here is the postcard template and here the directions to make it happen.

Step 5:  Ask a family member or adult to share a picture of your rocket on social media using #MakerMonday & #LearningInPlaceTN! 

Additional Resources:

American Rocketry Challenge

(Middle/High School)

Homer Hickam Website

In the late 1960's the world was enthralled with the idea of going to outer space and the great Space Race began. Countries competed to be the first in orbit and to the moon. All of this brought new innovation and imagination. Computers became more powerful and humans became bolder. We now have NASA and Space Force because of the discoveries of 70 years ago. There's infinite possibilities among the stars and you'll explore the past, present, and future of space.

Today, you will wonder about space and the future!

Step 1: Did you know that Homer Hickam was inspired by Sputnik and grew up during the Great Space Race? Sputnik was the first manmade satellite to orbit the Earth. Explore this online exhibit from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and follow the events of the space race in this infographic.

Step 2: This Wonderopolis article discusses who started NASA and what they do. Check out this site to learn what NASA is working on next. Watch current events and pre-recorded programming on NASA Live YouTube Channel.

Step 3: Ever wonder what the “A’s” in NASA stand for? The first “A” is aeronautics, the science of traveling through air. Visit this site to learn more about NASA’s work in aeronautics. The second “A” is administration as in space administration. Find out the differences between astronautics and aeronautics here.

Step 4: Ever wonder what happens to all the stuff in space? Turns out there is a lot of “trash” floating in space. Watch this video, read this post, and look at this infographic to learn more. Do you have any ideas for how to clean up our space “trash”?

Step 5: Ask a family member to share what you learned about space exploration and the creation of NASA with #WonderWednesdayTN & #LearningInPlaceTN!

Additional Resources:

NASA’s Beginners Guide to Aeronautics

NASA’s Kids Club site

At one point in time, people had a single career. They did one thing or worked for the same organization for the entire working years. Times have changed as careers have expanded and technology has flourished. People are employed today in careers that didn't exist 5 years ago. And people change throughout their lives as their interests grow and develop. It's no wonder that Homer Hickam has had such a wide variety of experiences in his careers, his curiosity has always been powerful!

Today, you will explore potential careers based on the life and interests of Homer Hickam!

Step 1: Homer Hickam earned a degree as an Industrial Engineer. Watch this video from Texas A&M University to learn about what industrial engineers do. Visit  CareerOneStop's website for more information about an industrial engineering career.

Step 2: After serving in the Army during Vietnam and working for the U.S. Army Missile Command, Homer worked as an aerospace engineer for NASA. Visit the Wonderopolis website to learn about aerospace engineering and visit CareerOneStop's website for more information about an aerospace engineering career. 

Step 3: Homer has written several books and earned an honorary Doctorate of Literature from Marshall University. Learn about writers and authors in this video. Think about how you can share your STEM stories with others.

Step 4: Homer enjoys digging for dinosaur bones. If that seems like fun, you might be interested in a career as a paleontologist. Meet some paleontologists in this video. Explore the activities in the Junior Paleontologist booklet from the National Park Service.

Step 5: Ask a family member to share something you learned about one of the careers using #FutureFridayTN & #LearningInPlaceTN!

Additional Resources:

More on Industrial Engineering

Astronaut Training