APOLLO 8 astronaut William Anders’ death at age 90 has prompted a flurry of tributes to the man known for visiting the moon and taking an iconic photo of the Earth.
Anders was piloting a small plane on Friday when it suddenly plunged into the waters between Orcas and Jones Islands in Washington state.
William Anders died in a plane crash on Friday at age 90
Anders snapped this photo, known as Earthrise, while on the Apollo 8 missionGetty Images – Getty
A passerby captured the plane crash on video
The crash was reported at 11:40 am local time after someone saw the Beechcraft A A 45 – also known as a T-34 – plane crash.
After a search and rescue mission was launched, Anders’ death was confirmed by his son, Greg, on Friday evening.
“The family is devastated. He was a great pilot. He will be missed,” read a statement from the family obtained by local NBC affiliate KING.
In the video, the plane could be seen nose-diving toward the water before it swerved and skidded on the surface.
The water turned yellow when it crashed before it sunk with a dark cloud of smoke billowing around it.
Anders was one of the first three people to see the moon on the historic Apollo 8 mission.
While there, he snapped the photo known as Earthrise, showing the view from the moon.
Tributes have poured in for the late astronaut with many remembering him for the iconic photo he snapped from the moon.
Senator Mark Kelly, a former astronaut himself, shared condolences on X, formerly Twitter.
“Bill Anders forever changed our perspective of our planet and ourselves with his famous Earthrise photo on Apollo 8. He inspired me and generations of astronauts and explorers. My thoughts are with his family and friends,” Kelly wrote.
“Apollo8’s lunar module pilot Bill Anders, the man behind the camera responsible for capturing one of humanity’s most powerful images #Earthrise has flown west. Rest easy Sir,” another person wrote on X.
“Legendary astronaut and photographer. A hero for me and many,” someone else said.
“It’s good to know he died doing what he loved. He’s best known for his journey to the moon on Apollo 8 where he snapped this photo,” another wrote.
“We now only have 6 survivors of the cadre of 24 humans who have flown to the vicinity of the Moon,” someone else pointed out.
STORIED CAREER
Nasa selected Anders to be an astronaut in 1964.
His responsibilities included dosimetry, radiation effects, and environmental control.
Apollo 8 mission
Apollo 8 launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida on December 21, 1968, with astronauts Frank Borman, James Lovell Jr., and William Anders on board.
The mission was the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth’s gravitational pull and marked the first humans to ever see the far side of the Moon.
It took Apollo 8 68 hours to travel from Earth to the Moon.
The crew orbited the Moon ten times over the course of twenty hours without landing.
While orbiting, they did a television broadcast on Christmas Eve and read the first ten verses from the Book of Genesis.
On Christmas morning, mission control waited for word that Apollo 8’s engine burn to leave lunar orbit had worked.
They knew it had when fellow astronaut Jim Lovell radioed, “Roger, please be informed there is a Santa Claus.”
The spacecraft returned to Earth on December 27.
Anders served as a lunar module pilot for Apollo 8.
He was also a backup pilot for the Gemini XI and Apollo 11 flights.
On December 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 mission became the first crewed spacecraft to leave Earth’s gravitational pull and reach the Moon.
The journey took astronauts Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman, who passed away in November 2023, 68 hours.
Anders considered the photo he took during this mission as his most significant contribution to the space program, noting its ecological and philosophical impact, as reported by Fox affiliate KHON.
“We’d been going backwards and upside down, didn’t really see the Earth or the Sun, and when we rolled around and came around and saw the first Earthrise,” he said about capturing the infamous image, according to KHON.
“That certainly was, by far, the most impressive thing. To see this very delicate, colorful orb which to me looked like a Christmas tree ornament coming up over this very stark, ugly lunar landscape really contrasted.”
Anders retired from the Air Force Reserves in 1988.
In 1991, he became chairman and CEO of General Dynamics Corporation, stepping down two years later, but continued as chairman until 1994.
In 1993, Anders and his wife, Valerie, who he shared six children and 13 grandchildren with, moved to Orcas Island.
GettyAnders’ (left) was aboard Apollo 8 with fellow astronauts Jim Lovell (middle) and Frank Borman (right)[/caption]
GettyThe Apollo 8 was the first crewed spaceflight to reach the moon, orbiting it 10 times[/caption]
GettyAnders’ was also a backup pilot for both the Gemini XI and Apollo 11 flights[/caption]
More to follow… For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos
Like us on Facebook at TheSunUS and follow us on X (formerly Twitter) at @TheUSSun
