Tom Hanks shares passion for space through an immersive experience to the moon
Tom Hanks is taking people on a virtual ride to the moon. At Space Center Houston, visitors can experience an immersive 270-degree multi-screen view of the Apollo missions.
"The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks," was co-written and narrated by the Academy Award-winning actor. In the film, he tells the story of the Apollo missions, when humans landed on the moon six times up until 1972.
For Hanks, it's a project that involves one of his longstanding passions.
Hanks' love for space
The Academy Award winning actor has loved space since elementary school.
"I was sitting at home in December of 1968 when Bill Anders, Jim Lovell and Frank Borman broadcast a live TV message from the moon. I remember thinking to myself, 'I am so glad I'm 13-years-old and I'm alive at the moment that we as a species go from never being on the moon to having been to the moon and I bought all the little models and all the little toys,'" Hanks said.
As an actor and producer, he was drawn to projects like "Apollo 13" — he played Jim Lovell in the film — and an Apollo mini-series. So, when Hanks saw an art show at the immersive London venue, Lightroom, Hanks got an idea.
"I just said, 'you know, this could be the closest you could get to walking on the moon if you did something about Apollo here.'"
Hanks worked with Lightroom to create the experience, using mostly photos and film that the Apollo astronauts shot themselves, including a family photo that Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke left on the lunar surface.
The images were handpicked by co-writer Chris Riley, a space documentarian.
"They're pristine, clear," Riley said. "It really feels like you are there again."
The show also includes new interviews with astronauts of the Artemis program that Space Center Houston said on its website, "will grant an insight into the return of crewed surface missions to the moon."
Hanks said he was starstruck when he had the opportunity to meet some astronauts.
"It's like meeting the Beatles. They're like, 'oh, hey Tom, I really enjoyed that show you made.' I can't believe these guys know my name," Hanks said. "There isn't one of them who doesn't talk about how much fun it was to play in zero gravity."
Reaction to the project
Hanks tells the story of the moonwalkers as if recounting memories on a Sunday drive. While the stories are nostalgic for some, they're aspirational for others.
"It felt like you are on the moon somewhere where you could be doing anything you wanna be, having fun," said Zoila Rollins.
The 7-year-old from the Dallas-Fort Worth area wants to be an astronaut, while her brother desires to be an engineer. Now, they're one small step closer.
Astronaut Megan McArthur, who's spent 200 days on the International Space Station, felt a special connection to the project, saying she cried the first time she saw it and called the film "emotionally immersive."
"All of that moonwalking happened before I was born, except for the very, very last mission," McArthur said. "I didn't know a lot of the details, in particular, the astronauts talking about the fun things that they got to do."
Future of space travel
Hanks said he isn't concerned about commercialization or division impacting space travel.
"Here's one thing about 1968.What was going on in 1968? There was a war in Vietnam. There was a huge dynamic of competition and animosity between big chunks of the world. There was a massive amount of us versus them. That's 1968. Does that sound familiar?" Hanks asked. "And if you want, if you need, if you seek some degree of reassurance or inspiration or example, you can get that from the fact that four human beings are gonna start going back to the moon and they're gonna be staying longer. It will be an example of the best of us if we choose to make it so."
You can watch "The Moonwalkers" everyday at Space Center Houston. The film is going on a North American tour starting in Boston this summer.
