Since there was existing tension with the Russians from previous wars, Hickam was cautious with the idea. This also assisted them in the repairing of Hubble.Įventually, Hickam became the manager of training for the International Space Station. This allowed them to see where different handrails, rooms, and objects needed to be placed for the convenience of the astronauts. grew up to be a NASA engineer and the author of Rocket Boys, the acclaimed memoir that inspired Lewis Colick’s screenplay. For Hubble, Hickam and his coworkers began going underwater in suits to simulate being in space.

With this newfound energy, he began training individuals at the space lab and also assisted in the launch and repair of Hubble, the space telescope that was originally launched in 1990. As many American citizens wondered how to get to space, these astronauts considered the question, “What is important about going to space? What’s made you interested in space?” Hickam reflected on their questions and realized he had forgotten his passion of space and its exploration. This included spending a year in Japan! During his time there, he learned how the Japanese thought of space philosophically. As an employee located in their Space Lab corporate office, Hickam automated their laboratory’s systems while learning about the lab in general.Īs he started working with the astronauts, Hickam spent the rest of his career training them. NASA hired Hickam in 1981 not for his engineering degree, but because he knew how to program computers. It was during this time that he began to learn programming for computers.

Once his six years with the army were up, Hickam started working with the military’s Aviation and Missile department as an army civilian. Although building rockets was a childhood pastime, the excitement of space exploration never left Hickam’s heart.Īfter going to college at Virginia Tech for an industrial engineering degree, Hickam volunteered to travel to Vietnam as an army engineer.

Along with his friends, they named themselves the “Big Creek Missile Agency.” Yet to the town, they were known as “The Rocket Boys,” which became the title of one of Hickam’s best sellers. Raised in Coalwood, West Virginia, Homer Hickam Jr.

Homer h hickam jr