Alan Bean Plus Four

Dreamers with a Mission

It all began on a clear autumn night in Steve Wong’s backyard. The night was still, and the stars twinkled overhead like tiny reminders of the vastness beyond. Steve, Zack, Natasha, and I had gathered for what started as a regular evening of hanging out, sipping beers, and swapping stories. The idea of going to the Moon came out of nowhere, like a punchline to a joke none of us expected.

“So, why don’t we just go to the Moon?” Steve said, eyes gleaming with that dangerous mix of brilliance and insanity that always seemed to follow him.

We all laughed at first, but Steve’s face didn’t change. He was serious. Dead serious.

“The technology exists. We have the knowledge. Why not us?” Steve continued.

Natasha, always the most practical one in the group, crossed her arms and gave him a sideways glance. “Steve, this isn’t one of your backyard projects. This is the Moon. NASA goes to the Moon. We’re just... us.”

“And what if I told you I’ve been working on it?” Steve countered, pulling out his laptop and showing us what seemed like blueprints for a rocket.

Zack, ever the curious one, leaned forward, squinting at the screen. “Wait. You’re actually serious about this?”

“Dead serious,” Steve replied.

We didn’t need much more convincing. Steve’s determination had a way of pulling people in, and the rest of us, perhaps against our better judgment, were more than willing to be swept along. Within the next few weeks, we found ourselves knee-deep in plans. Steve had already been working on building a spaceship in his garage — a side project that had been more secret than we realized. He was confident that, with a bit of help, he could turn the dream into reality.

Building the Impossible

Building a spacecraft wasn’t easy, but Steve had connections. He knew people from his time in Silicon Valley, engineers and scientists who could help, and he wasn’t shy about calling in favors. The next few months were a blur of engineering feats, setbacks, and breakthroughs. Zack handled logistics, Natasha took care of safety protocols, and I, well, I tried to keep everyone sane.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” I said one afternoon as we stood in Steve’s garage, watching the skeleton of our spacecraft come together.

“It’s happening,” Steve replied confidently. “This is our Moonshot.”

The ship, which Steve named *Bean One* in honor of astronaut Alan Bean, began to take shape. It wasn’t NASA-level, but it was functional. The cockpit was small, built for four, and the design was basic but efficient. Steve’s connections provided crucial components — guidance systems, pressure controls, and enough hardware to rival a small-scale space mission.

The project took on a life of its own. We spent hours and hours tweaking systems, running tests, and dreaming about what it would be like to actually stand on the lunar surface. The idea seemed impossible at times, but Steve’s optimism was contagious.

The Journey Begins

The day finally came when *Bean One* was ready for launch. We had made all the necessary arrangements — or at least as many as we could. Steve had managed to keep the entire mission under the radar, and no one seemed to believe that a group of amateurs could actually pull this off.

Our launch site was in the middle of the Nevada desert, a place as remote as we could find. There was a quiet tension in the air as we suited up. None of us spoke much, but the weight of the moment was clear.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Zack muttered for the hundredth time as he climbed into the cockpit.

“Believe it,” Steve said with a grin, strapping himself in next to Zack. Natasha and I followed, and soon the cockpit door was sealed.

Steve’s voice crackled over the intercom. “Alright, folks. Let’s go to the Moon.”

The engines roared to life, and before we knew it, we were off the ground, accelerating through the atmosphere at an alarming speed. The force of the launch pressed us back into our seats, but the exhilaration was undeniable. This was it — we were going to space.

Spacebound

Once we escaped the pull of Earth’s gravity, everything felt surreal. We floated in zero gravity, marveling at the vastness of space beyond the cockpit window. The Earth looked like a glowing marble in the distance, and the Moon loomed ahead, its surface scarred with craters and mysteries yet to be uncovered.

Natasha was the first to break the silence. “This is insane. I mean... look at this.”

Zack let out a low whistle. “I can’t believe we actually made it.”

But as the initial excitement wore off, the reality of our situation set in. We were alone in the void of space, traveling to a place that had only been visited by a handful of astronauts. The enormity of our mission hit us, and for a moment, none of us knew what to say.

Steve, ever the optimist, broke the silence. “This is what it’s all about, guys. We’re doing something incredible here.”

And incredible it was. We spent the next few hours adjusting our course and monitoring the ship’s systems. Everything was going according to plan, but there was an unspoken tension that lingered in the air. We all knew the risks. One mistake, one malfunction, and it could all be over.

The Moon Landing

As we approached the Moon, the anticipation in the cockpit was palpable. We had rehearsed the landing sequence dozens of times, but now that the moment was here, it felt surreal.

Steve guided the ship toward the surface, his hands steady on the controls. The lunar landscape grew closer and closer, and soon we could make out the craters and rocky terrain below.

“Steady... steady...” Steve muttered under his breath as the ship’s landing gear deployed.

With a soft thud, we touched down on the surface of the Moon. For a moment, none of us spoke. We had done it. We had landed on the Moon.

Steve was the first to unstrap his harness and make his way to the hatch. “Let’s go make history.”

One by one, we followed, stepping onto the lunar surface in our bulky spacesuits. The ground beneath us was soft, like powdered chalk, and the sky above was a pitch-black void, dotted with stars.

“I can’t believe we’re standing here,” Zack said, his voice crackling over the comms.

“Believe it,” Steve replied with a grin. “We’re the first civilians to ever do this.”

Alan Bean’s Legacy

As we wandered across the lunar surface, we couldn’t help but think about the astronauts who had come before us. Alan Bean, the fourth man on the Moon, had left his footprints in this very place. In a way, we were walking in his footsteps, carrying on his legacy of exploration and discovery.

“This is for you, Alan,” Steve said quietly as he planted our makeshift flag in the ground.

The flag wasn’t much — just a simple piece of fabric we had designed with a logo of our own creation. But it represented something more than just a successful mission. It was a symbol of human ambition, of the idea that anyone, no matter who they are, can achieve the impossible if they set their mind to it.

We spent the next few hours exploring, collecting samples, and taking in the view. The Earth hung in the sky above us like a distant dream, and for a moment, we felt truly connected to the universe in a way that was hard to describe.

Returning Home

Eventually, it was time to leave. Our mission was complete, and it was time to return to Earth. The journey back was bittersweet. We had achieved something incredible, but we also knew that life on Earth would never feel quite the same again. We had seen the Moon with our own eyes, stood on its surface, and left our mark. But now, it was time to return to the everyday.

As we re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and descended toward the Nevada desert, a sense of accomplishment washed over us. We had done it. We had gone to the Moon.

Steve’s voice crackled over the intercom one last time. “Welcome back, everyone. We’re home.”

Epilogue: What Comes Next?

The mission was over, but the memories would last a lifetime. We had

done something that most people could only dream of. But as we sat around Steve’s backyard once again, basking in the glow of our achievement, I couldn’t help but wonder what came next.

Steve grinned, looking up at the stars. “You know, Mars isn’t that far away.”