The former Apollo 8 astronaut William Andersknown for capturing the iconic photo of the Earth above the lunar horizon in 1968, died this Friday at the age of 90 when he crashed in seattle the plane in which he was traveling, as confirmed by NASA.
“In 1968, during the Apollo 8, Bill Anders offered humanity one of the most profound gifts an astronaut can give. “He traveled to the threshold of the Moon and helped us all see something else: ourselves,” said the NASA administrator. Bill Nelsonin the agency’s X account.
“He embodied the lessons and purpose of exploration. We will miss him,” he stated.
The Pacific Northwest Division of the US Coast Guard and the sheriff’s office San Juan responded to a call about an accident between the Orcas Island and Johns Island (Washington state) related to an old model of a small plane that sank after falling into the water, according to the network NBC.
Sheriff Eric Peter stated that crews are searching the area, but have not yet found the astronaut’s body. Anders was traveling alone on the aircraft at the time of the accident.
He December 24, 1968Anders, with the astronauts Frank Bormanwho was the mission commander, and Jim Lovell They became the first to orbit the moon and the first to witness that image that was captured in the famous photo.
While the spacecraft was in the process of rotating, Anders took this iconic photograph.”Earthrise” showing the earth rising above the horizon of the moon.
In 2018, the International Astronomical Union commemorated the event by naming a crater 25 miles in diameter “Anders’ Earthrise”.
The photo allowed the planet to be seen from a great distance for the first time.
“When the Earth appeared above the lunar horizon, that’s when I was really struck by how much more delicate and colorful the Earth was,” Anders said in a 2018 interview with Today Show upon completing 50 years of that innovative mission.
After 25 hours of flight Anders started taking pictures. The former astronaut further said in that interview that he believed he had a one in three chance of not surviving the Apollo 8 mission, he further noted. NBC.
Anders, who was born in Hong Kong On October 17, 1933, he was also a backup pilot for the mission Gemini XI and the mission Apollo 11 in which the first humans landed on the moon July 20, 1969.
He graduated from United States Naval Academy and earned a master’s degree in Nuclear engineering. Throughout his career, he held several technology-related government positions, most notably as the first chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and later as US ambassador to Norway.
Before being selected to be an astronaut in 1964, Anders was a fighter pilot in the Air Force and had four sons and two daughters.
Following his career at NASA, Anders took on roles in the defense and aerospace sector, becoming CEO and president of General Dynamics in the 1990s before retiring.
Of the Apollo 8 crew, only James Lovell still alive. Frank Borman He died in November 2023 at age 95. Lovell, 96, was also a member of the Apollo 13 mission, which although intended to land on the Moon, suffered a near-disaster that was later made into a Hollywood movie.
“The last time humans set foot on the Moon was in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission, but NASA intends to send new astronauts, including the first woman and the first person of color, in the coming years,” according to disclosures from official sources.
Among those who have mourned Anders’ death is the senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly.
“Anders forever changed our perspective of our planet and ourselves with his famous photograph of the Earth’s rise on Apollo 8. He has already inspired generations of astronauts and explorers in me,” he indicated on his X account.
(With information from EFE and AFP)
