October Sky 1999

Inspired by the dawn of the space age and the historic launching of the Soviet satellite Sputnik, Homer enlists his two best buddies as well as the school's resident math geek to help him design and launch space rockets.
After a series of disastrous crash landings, in particular one that sends an entire coal mine full of workers running for cover, Homer's father demands that his son get serious about his future and abandon his silly science projects.