Let the moon rush begin, op ed, Homer Hickam, Washington Post “As these efforts get going, however, it’s important to avoid the thinking of a half-century ago and look at the moon in a different way. This is, after all, not your grandfather’s moon. After the Apollo moon-landing program of the 1960s and ’70s, a series of robotic missions discovered that Luna was a lot more interesting than many had […]

My Open Letter to NASA Managers Who Can’t Say “Moon” without “Mars” in the Same Sentence: Please stop it., Homer Hickam “We’ve even got a Vice President who is behind NASA, who wants you to go to the moon and build something permanent there, and who has stuck out his neck for you. For years, lots of us have been working in every way we can – me with my […]

Keith’s note: I first wrote “Rocket Boys, Vulcans, and Wandering Apollo Rockets” for StarTrek’s official website in 2002 the day after the “Enterprise” episode “Carbon Creek” first aired. The story was clearly inspired by my friend Homer Hickam’s book “Rocket Boys” Well, that episode was on TV last night.
Curiously, after 15 years, and several pivots, NASA seems to be moving back toward the Moon again (which happens to be my favorite destination for human exploration as well as Homer’s) and interstellar object 1I/’Oumuamua (previously A/2017 U1) is passing through our solar system – echoes of the plot of yet another Star Trek tale i.e. “Star Trek First Contact”.

Universal Faces $20M Lawsuit By Homer Hickam Over ‘October Sky’ “Author and former NASA engineer Homer Hickam is suing Universal for north of $20M over its October Sky musical. In a breach of contract, fraud and multi-claim jury-seeking complaint filed today, the Rocket Boys memoirist claims that Universal Pictures “has taken the completely fallacious position” that Hickam gave over all the rights to the source material to the studio. Its […]

Book Review: “Crater” By Homer Hickam “Crater” by Homer Hickam, is aimed at younger readers and manages to deliver quite a well-paced adventure. The book focuses on the adventures of Crater Trueblood a 16 year old blue collar kid who lives on the Moon complete with a mysterious past and a penchant for invention. He also has a knack of stumbling into one mini-adventure after another as he makes his […]

Keith’s note: “Rocket Boys” author and former NASA employee Homer Hickam has a new book coming out titled “Crater”. According to his website: “A mining colony on the moon. A teen sent on a deadly mission. And a secret bigger than two worlds. It’s the 22nd Century. A tough, pioneering people mine the moon for Helium-3 to produce energy for a desperate, war-torn Earth. Sixteen-year old Crater Trueblood loves his […]

Keith’s note: Video: Build A Rocket!from Rocket Boys the Musical Keith’s note: On the day that the SLS ageeement was announced, I thought this was an appropriate video to show – courtesy of the original Rocket Boy himself, Homer Hickam. This scene is from “Rocket Boys the Musical” based on Homer Hickam’s memoir Rocket Boys, the #1 New York Times bestseller which was also made into the movie “October Sky”. […]

Embry-Riddle Speech, Homer Hickam “So, I say to you students of Embry-Riddle, don’t be afraid and please don’t walk away from a career in aerospace. The nation is depending on you to pry from the tiller of space the hands of those who don’t understand what its promise means. The nation is depending on you to rebuild from the wreckage that our present leaders may cause. The nation is depending […]

Defending the moon, Homer Hickam “Here is a list of six reasons why the United States should make it a national goal to establish a laboratory on the moon, similar to our Antarctic South Pole Station: 1. National prestige. Many decisions are made in other countries based on how they perceive us . Are we young and dynamic and growing or are we old, lethargic, and dying? If we are […]