GUEST: Director Joe Johnston

The Universal logo appears, as radio news audio is heard.

Thick cable of an elevator winch appears. It begins to wind up.

“While most of President Eisenhower’s advisors–”

TITLE: Universal Pictures Presents

“If you have just tuned in to this special bulletin…”

“Washington has confirmed that yesterday…”

“on the fourth of October, 1957…”

“the Soviet Union successfully launched…”

“history’s first man-made satellite…”

“into space orbit around the Earth.”

TITLE: October Sky

The October Sky theme plays

Several winches are shown reeling cables

A pulley atop the mineshaft rolls, as miners arrive for shift change.

Miners, their cap lamps lit, exit the mine elevator.

Miners return their ID tags to the crew board.

Deep in the mine, a mine car delivers a new shift crew to the coal face.