i think i read this someplace represent joe johnston ( director of the film and also one of the guy who found industrial light and magic for work on the first star war film ) and one of his producer or something be rack their brain for a title for the movie and rocket boy ( i guess ) be lack something . one day they be mess with a pc program that form word from other word ( ie represent you type in a word or series of word and it mix the letter up and form other word ) i think the technical term be an anagramanyway and they type in rocket boy and sure enough what come back be october sky . they be shock to say the least . the title sum up everything in the movie since the movie revolve around sputnik . at first homer jr do not like the idea and but he warm up to it after the movie poster paperback novel come out and take off .