HUNTSVILLE, Alabama USA — The "rocket boys" of the new film "October Sky" spend plenty of time getting in trouble because of their homemade missiles. The crude rockets, built through trial-and-error, had no guidance systems — and no way to steer them. Parts were hard to find. And the boys, who grew up in West Virginia's coal-mining country during the 1950s, had no money to pay for their hobby.

But todays model rockets are a different story,according to people who should know - the members of the Huntsville Area Rocketry Association, a group that promotes rocketry as a hobby.

Vince Huegele, an optical physicist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, has been a HARA member for 12 years. He said todays more sophisticated model rockets are simple to build, easy to use, have a good safety record and are relatively inexpensive.

"These arent just toys anymore," Huegele said. "You can do some real science stuff with these rockets."

HARA, founded in 1979, is the local model rocket club and section of the National Association of Rocketry. The clubs goal is to maintain an active launch schedule and an ongoing commitment to rocketrys educational applications.

Huegele hopes the Universal Pictures film "October Sky" - based on the teen-age experiences of Huntsvillian and former NASA scientist Homer Hickam - will generate more interest in the hobby of rocketry.

"We want people to be aware they are welcome to join the local group of amateurs, said Huegele, who built the model rocket Hickam will launch during his appearance tonight on "Late Night With David Letterman."

"I'd like to get it back, but Dave may launch it into a pile of pudding," Huegele lamented.

Huegele's made-for-TV cardboard rocket looks similar to the metal tube models Hickam and the other "rocket boys" built 40 years ago — long before rocketry was considered a viable and marketable hobby.

In "October Sky," the boys have trouble tracking down materials to build their amateur rockets, and they struggle to find the money to pay for those materials.

But Huegele said todays commercially manufactured rocketry kits are easy to use and are relatively inexpensive. Rockets cost from $10 to $15 for smaller student models to about $30 for more elaborate versions nearly 6 feet long. The expendable motors cost $1.

"We are a little concerned that people not aware of the current safety factors with the hobby might see the movie, stick explosives in a tube, and blow themselves up," said Brian Day, HARA club president.

Day, a software engineer with NASA contractor New Technology, became interested in rocketry when he was in elementary school. His enthusiasm faded soon after that, but he returned to the hobby four years ago.

"The danger from the time Homer launched them has been taken care of with todays kits," said Day, a Pennsylvania native who earned his bachelors degree in electrical engineering at Lehigh University. "Theyre safe and easy to use. I was amazed at how much it had changed since I was a kid.

Huegele, who has a masters degree in engineering from the University of Tennessee, said HARA members consider themselves to be the modern-day "rocket boys."

"Homer may become a folk hero among us," Huegele said. "The movie may inspire young people for a long time, and we want them to know we are here to help."

Huegele himself has spent many hours in Huntsville and Madison County schools, hoping to inspire kids to study science and math — just like "Miss Riley," the teacher in "October Sky" played by Laura Dern.

"I've been launching rockets since fifth grade," Huegele said. "Many of us flew rockets as kids, and we are still doing so now with our children. In that sense, we are the 'Miss Rileys' who are here to help other kids build their rockets and get their science projects put together."

The local rocketry group will hold its first launch of the year Saturday at 10 a.m. at its "flying field" near Ardmore, at the intersection of Wall-Triana Highway and Elkwood Section Road.

During Space Week on March 13, the club will hold its annual "Rocket City Classic" rocketry contest at John Hunt Park, at the old Huntsville airport grounds. Rockets are judged in three separate categories: length of flight, targeted landing and craftsmanship.

"This year, it may turn out to be a reenactment of 'October Sky' since the film will still be in theaters and people will have seen it," Huegele said.

The Huntsville Area Rocketry Associations monthly meetings are held the second Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Huntsville Area Technical Societies office at 4900 University Square, Suite 4. There, members discuss the latest rockets, videos, projects, unusual hardware and more.

The club publishes a quarterly newsletter, "The Max-Q," and members receive discounts at participating area hobby shops. Its annual dues are $12 for individuals, or $20 for a family of two or more. 

Copyright © 1999, The Huntsville Times. Used with permission.