William Anders, one of the first three astronaut to orbit the moon and who took the famous Earthrise photo, died in a plane crash, according to NBC News.
Retired Major General William Anders, 90, a retired Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic Earthrise photo showing the planet as a shaded blue marble from space in 1968, died on Friday when the plane he was piloting solo plunged into the waters.
The sheriff’s office said the first report of the crash came into the San Juan Sheriff’s Office dispatch centre around 11:40 a.m. Friday, and authorities responded. The report said the older model plane was flying north-south, hit the water and sank.
The Pacific Northwest Coast Guard said shortly before 1 p.m. local time they responded with the Sheriff’s Office to a plane crash between Orcas and Jones Islands, which are about 80 miles north of Seattle.
The US Coast Guard later announced that the pilot’s body recovered by a team of divers after an hours-long, multi-agency search that covered 215 nautical miles. According to the Federal Aviation Association, only the pilot was on board the Beech A45 at the time.
Anders’ son, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Anders, confirmed the death. He said: “The family is devastated. He was a great pilot and we will miss him terribly.”
Apollo 8 astronaut, iconic Earthrise photo creator
Anders took the iconic Earthrise photo, which shows our world with the lunar horizon in the foreground. The photo, the first colour image of the Earth from space, is one of the most important photographs in modern history as it changed the way people looked at the planet. The photo is believed to have started the global environmental movement as it showed how fragile and isolated the Earth looks from space.
Anders said the photograph was his most significant contribution to the space programme, given its environmental and philosophical impact, as well as ensuring the Apollo 8 command and service modules were operational.
William Anders was the pilot of the Apollo 8 mission’s lunar module. The mission set off 55 years ago, on 21 December 1968, to orbit the Moon and return to Earth to prepare for the Apollo 11 lunar landing the following year.
William Anders told NASA, the Apollo 8 mission was safe, but there were important national, patriotic and research reasons for its continuation. He estimated that there was about a one-in-three chance that the crew would not return, and an equal chance that the mission would succeed, and an equal chance that the mission would not start over.
Anders was an Air Force fighter pilot in intercept squadrons and selected as an astronaut in 1964. He later served as executive secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council from 1969 to 1973. President Gerald Ford named him the first chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, responsible for nuclear safety and environmental compatibility.
