Paco: The Cat Who Meowed in Space (Kindle Single) [Kindle Edition]

Homer Hickam (Author)

Book Description

Homer Hickam, author of the memoir Rocket Boys (made into the movie October Sky), recalls his first years as a NASA engineer while also telling the story of his fluffy black and white cat Paco who had the magic ability to make people smile and give them hope. But when Paco was struck down by a disease that left him unable to walk, Hickam was faced with a terrible decision, let his beloved cat live in misery or put him to sleep. Before that decision could be made, the space mission Hickam was working on needed to be rescued and there was only one sure way to save it: Paco's magic meow! This is a true story of the space age that is also a delightful tale of the love between an engineer and his cat.

"Homer Hickam is a national treasure. America's most beloved Rocket Boy tells the touching story of a space-crazy man and his cat. Paco will delight pet-lovers and wanna-be astronauts alike." - Dr. Marty Becker "America's Veterinarian" on Good Morning America, Dr. Oz Show. Author of 20 books on pets.

To watch folks at NASA do their thing during a mission, you'd think they were all "steely-eyed missile men (and women)." But if you've worked there, you know this is only part of the story. In this memoir, Homer gives you a slice of what it's like to join NASA and become part of the family - and how your real family (including 4 legged members) participate as a team. I know. My cat Biner also meowed in space. Read it (preferably) with a cat curled up on your lap. - Keith Cowing, author of New Moon Rising: The Making of America's New Space Vision and the Remaking of NASA.

"They say in space that no one can hear you meow. But is that true? Homer Hickam's story about his time at NASA - and his cat - hits all the right notes. A little humor, a little history, a few tears, and a lot about yours truly! A wonderful read." - Dr. Wernher von Braun (aka DrvonBraun on Twitter)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Fans of Homer Hickam's best-selling memoir Rocket Boys will relish this story of his "magical" cat, who could, as Hickam writes in this quirky, endearing mini-memoir, "fix things in your mind and your heart." Hickam adopted the neighborhood stray, Paco, after moving to Alabama to work for NASA, during one the headier periods of time in the agency's history. When the space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all aboard, Paco gave Hickam comfort. When Challenger's replacement Endeavor reached orbit, Hickam sent the crew a celebratory recorded message--"Meow, meow, meow"--making Paco the first cat to meow in space. Paco seems to be at the center of all of Hickam's endeavors--he even featured the cat in his techno-thriller novel, Back to the Moon, in which Paco rides aboard a shuttle mission. Of course, the real story here is Hickam's--a story about his love of spaceflight and his passion for NASA.--Neal Thompson

From AudioFile

Product Details

• File Size: 467 KB
• Print Length: 74 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007K1OC6K
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,580 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #26 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles > Society

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating behind-the-scenes anecdotes March 15, 2012

By J. Chambers TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

After seeing the movie "October Sky" several years ago, I naturally assumed that Homer Hickam went on to college to study engineering, then went to work for NASA. But as Homer explained in his marvelous Kindle Single, "Paco: The Cat Who Meowed in Space," that was not to be. In fact, he did not go on the NASA payroll until he was almost forty years old.

The book's title refers to Homer's beloved cat Paco, who he inherited when he bought a house in Huntsville, Alabama, near the Marshall Space Flight Center. Paco's original owners had moved, but Paco refused to leave his home, and he quickly adopted Homer as his new master. (I'm taking great liberties with the words "owner" and "master," of course, as anyone with a cat understands!)

Paco was always a special cat, but his real shining moment came when his "meow" was heard around the world during a Space Shuttle flight. It's a great anecdote, just one of many fascinating stories related by the author. Equally fascinating were the stories of Homer's career with the Army and later, NASA. Homer's own experiences and the stories told to him by some of the NASA old-timers made this a spellbinding little book that I couldn't put down.

Highly recommended for anyone with even the slightest interest in the history of the space program.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The tale of Paco... revives some personal, haunting memories April 9, 2012

By R. Nicholson TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

"Paco: The Cat Who Meowed in Space" is a true story by author Homer Hickam. This Kindle e-book was a 485 Kb download and was priced at $1.99 at the time of writing this review.

Homer Hickam was, as a young boy, always fascinated by rockets. As luck would have it he ended up working at NASA for many of the Shuttle launches. This then is his true account of some of the things that happened while working at NASA and his relationship with an abandoned neighborhood cat, Paco.
Paco was one of those rare felines that had the ability to make people... all people, who came in contact with him...
1.) love him
2.) make them feel instantly better no matter how down they were
3.) had an uncanny ability, on occasion, to communicate in certain ways with humans he loved.

The title refers to an event with an in-space astronaut who could not perform her experiments due to psychological nausea. She'd previously met and fell in love with our feline hero. So Homer did something to help her forget her problems. He got a tape of Paco meowing and played it for the astronaut in space. The NASA team thought he was nuts, but the results were almost immediately beneficial.

This story caught my eye because I am a cat lover. (worshiper?... well maybe) and the headlined title caught my eye. But more than this, within a few pages I quickly realized I had a "Paco" by the name of Shultz back in the late 1980s. A cat so in tune with my personal rhythms it was uncanny. And like Paco, Shultz and I could communicate. When he was killed by a car I wept like a baby... uncontrollably... I'd lost my best friend. So when Homer final lost Paco, I could feel his pain, the void of a true friend, lost forever.

Conclusion:
An interesting NASA space agency tale but also a glimpse into just how rare and beautiful it is to find a creature like Paco the cat.

5 Stars.

Ray Nicholson
[e-mail]

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cats in Space? March 14, 2012

By Books,Books,Books

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Wow, a surprise Homer Hickam memoir, how prodigious is that? His love of NASA and the adventure of space is evident in this novella of time in his early years at the propulsion center in Huntsville, Alabama. A special cat joined his life (and a lady) and with their special bond, they help save a shuttle mission. And a bonus funny discussion of how a cat would use a litter box in space. Yep, that's our Rocket Boy, and its all true! Read it!

More About the Author

Homer Hickam (also known as Homer H. Hickam, Jr.) has been a coal miner, Vietnam combat veteran, scuba instructor, NASA engineer, and now a best-selling author.

Homer has always loved to write. In the third grade, his teacher, after reading one of his short stories, predicted he would make his living as a writer. He did a lot of other things and had a lot of other interests but writing was always his true passion. After returning from Vietnam, Homer started selling his work. At first, he mostly wrote about his scuba diving adventures for a variety of different magazines and then branched out into writing articles on history, mostly World War II but also some NASA-related work. His first book, Torpedo Junction (1989), the story of the U-boat war along the American seaboard during World War II, was a military history best-seller. It was published by the Naval Institute Press and Bantam. It is still popular and in print.

In 1998, Delacorte Press published Hickam's second book, Rocket Boys: A Memoir, which became an instant classic. It is often studied in schools and picked as a community or library read of the year. It has been translated into a dozen languages, most recently French, Vietnamese and Chinese.

In February, 1999, Universal Studios released its critically-acclaimed film October Sky, based on Rocket Boys. When speaking to groups, Homer often apologizes to the young women in the audience for not actually being Jake Gyllenhaal (Jake played him in the movie). Jake Gyllenhaal, when speaking to groups, often apologizes to adult women for not being Homer Hickam. They're actually good friends.

In 2011, Rocket Boys the Musical continued development on its march to Broadway (www.rocketboysthemusical.com). There is now an annual summer production at Theatre West Virginia (www.theatrewestvirginia.com). Homer is co-writer of the musical.

There is an annual Rocket Boys Festival (www.rocketboysfestival.com) in West Virginia which celebrates the book.

Homer's first fiction novel was Back to the Moon (1999) which has proved enduringly popular.

There are three more books in the "Coalwood" series after Rocket Boys (aka October Sky). They are The Coalwood Way, Sky of Stone, and We Are Not Afraid.

Homer also has a series of popular novels about Josh Thurlow, a Coast Guard officer during World War II. The series began with The Keeper's Son (2003), followed by The Ambassador's Son and The Far Reaches.

In 2008, his novel Red Helmet, a romantic love story set in a West Virginia coal town, was published. My Dream of Stars, the memoir of Anousheh Ansari, was published in March, 2010.

The Dinosaur Hunter, a mystery/western novel set in the ranch lands of Montana and reflecting Homer's love of both Montana and paleontology, was published in Nov. 2010.

He is presently writing a series set on the moon 120 years in the future (helium3novels.com). Crater was the first in the series (2012) followed by Crescent (2013).

Also in 2012, he published his first Kindle Single, the highly popular memoir Paco: The Cat Who Meowed in Space (and other stories of NASA).

Mr. Hickam loves the mountains and he loves the sea. He scuba dives and snorkels in the world's oceans. A new avocation is amateur paleontology. He has discovered two of the approximately forty T.rexes ever found.

Mr. Hickam is married to Linda Terry Hickam, an artist and his first editor and assistant. They love their cats and share their time between homes in Alabama and the Virgin Islands.