Hanks' short story published in The New Yorker

In 2014, Tom Hanks made his literary debut with the short story "Alan Bean Plus Four," published in The New Yorker. The narrative follows four friends embarking on a fictional voyage to the moon, inspired by the real-life Apollo 12 astronaut Alan Bean. Hanks, known for his illustrious acting career, has long harbored a fascination with space, a passion that dates back to his childhood when he built plastic models of rockets and eagerly watched live broadcasts of space missions during the 1960s. Despite the excitement surrounding Hanks' entry into the literary world, the reception was mixed. Katy Waldman of Slate described the story as "mediocre," critiquing Hanks' ideas about technology as somewhat clichéd and suggesting that they could have resonated more if presented in a less contrived literary style. Nevertheless, "Alan Bean Plus Four" marks an intriguing intersection of Hanks' artistic pursuits, blending his love for storytelling with his lifelong interest in space exploration.