Homer’s first rocket, named Auk I, exploded shortly after launch.
In the memoir “October Sky,” also known as “Rocket Boys,” Homer Hickam recounts his experiences as a high school student in Coalwood, West Virginia, during the late 1950s. Inspired by the launch of Sputnik, Homer and his friends set out to build their own rockets. The first rocket they built, which they dubbed Auk I, was constructed from a simple design using a flashlight tube for the body and a nozzle made from a metal washer soldered to a screen. Unfortunately, their inexperience and lack of proper materials led to a failure. The rocket exploded almost immediately upon ignition, providing a stark lesson in the challenges of rocketry. This initial failure did not deter them; instead, it spurred Homer and his friends to improve their designs and methods, leading to more sophisticated rockets as they continued their experiments.
