Homer Hickam

About

American author, military veteran, and one-time NASA engineer. He is best known for his New York Times bestselling memoir Rocket Boys. His other literary works include Torpedo Junction, Back to the Moon, and Sky of Stone.

Before Fame

In 1964, he graduated from Virginia Tech, where he studied Industrial Engineering. In the early 1980s, he began working for NASA.

Trivia

He earned the Commendation Medal for his time spent serving in the Vietnam War.

Family Life

He was born in Coalwood, West Virginia to Homer and Elsie Hickam. He married Linda Terry Hickam.

Associated With

October Sky, the screen adaptation of Hickam's memoir Rocket Boys, stars actor Jake Gyllenhaal as Hickam.