<P> Later that night, the workers' union opts to go on strike against Homer's dad . While the family eats dinner inside, John goes to the kitchen . A car pulls up outside, and a bullet is shot into the house . It misses John, and he realizes that the shooter was Vernon . Homer and Jim express their concern to their father, but John dismisses their fears . Fed up, Homer confronts his father, and a heated argument ensues . The mines are set to close down and there is nothing but trouble and no future for Homer in the mines . He resents his father's pressures to follow in the near - extinct mine work . Homer storms out of the house, vowing to never return . </P> <P> At the national science fair, Homer's display is received very well . After a scheduled few days show, the prizes are to be awarded, and Homer enjoys top popularity and some sightseeing . Overnight, someone steals his machined rocket part model--the de Laval nozzle--as well as his autographed picture of Wernher von Braun . Homer makes an urgent phone call home for help . His mother, Elsie, implores John to end the ongoing strike so that Mr. Bolden (Randy Stripling), the machine worker who replaced Bykovsky, can use the mine's machine shop to build a replacement nozzle . John relents when Elsie, fed up with his lack of support for their son, threatens to leave him . With the support of the town, Homer wins the top prize and is bombarded with scholarship offers from colleges . He is also congratulated by his inspiration, Dr. Wernher von Braun, but does not realize the engineer's identity until he has gone . </P> <P> Homer returns to Coalwood as a hero and visits Miss Riley, who is dying of Hodgkin's disease . A launch of their largest rocket yet (called the Miss Riley) is the last scene of the film . John, who never attended the launchings before, arrives this time, and from Homer's hands, is given the honor of pushing the firing button . The Miss Riley reaches an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,100 m)--higher than the summit of Mount Everest . As the crowd (and the rest of the town) looks up to the skies, following the fine progress of the rocket, John slowly puts his hand on Homer's shoulder and smiles . </P> <P> At the end of the film, a series of vignettes reveals the true outcomes of the main characters' lives . </P>

Where does homer's dad work what do you think their relationship is like