Belcourt Theatre Nashville, TN
Dr. Tracie Prater
Materials and Processes Engineer, United Launch Alliance; Former Aerospace Engineer, NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center
October Sky— The Science of Rocket Launches
Program Description
Dr. Prater led a rocket demo and rocket launch in nearby Fannie Mae Dees Park with Chuck Schlemm and the Middle Tennessee Space Society.
Presented At
Belcourt Theatre Nashville, TN
Film Synopsis
The true story of Homer Hickam, a coal miner's son who was inspired by the first Sputnik launch to take up rocketry against his father's wishes.
Based on a true story, in 1957, Homer Hickam (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a high school student in Coalwood, West Virginia. His father, John (Chris Cooper), is coal miner who loves his job and expects his son to follow in his footsteps. But Homer becomes interested in rocket science after seeing Sputnik 1 crossing the sky. Despite his father’s disapproval, Homer begins designing and building missiles with the help of friends and a sympathetic teacher (Laura Dern). Rocketry, he hopes, will provide his ticket to a better life.
About the Speaker
Dr. Tracie Prater is a materials and processes engineer at United Launch Alliance. She obtained her PhD in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2012, where her dissertation work focused on modeling tool wear in friction stir welding of metal composites. She was previously a Graduate Student Research Program Fellow at NASA's Marshall Spaceflight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and a NASA Academy intern. Dr. Prater received an MS in mechanical engineering from Vanderbilt and a BS in physics from Eastern Kentucky University. She previously presented at IAC in 2012 as a NASA-sponsored student researcher. Her professional interests include manufacturing process optimization, advanced manufacturing, new materials for structural aerospace applications, and space policy. Dr. Prater holds an EIT certification and hopes to obtain her PE (professional engineer) license within the next few years. She is the author or co-author of nine peer-reviewed journal articles and has made technical presentations at eight conferences. She is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Society of Women Engineers, and Sigma Xi. She is also involved in a number of outreach activities to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.