The death of APOLLO 8 astronaut William Anders at age 90 has sparked an outpouring of tributes to the man known for visiting the Moon and taking an iconic photo of Earth.
Anders was piloting a small plane on Friday when it suddenly plunged into the waters between Orcas and Jones islands in Washington state.
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The accident was reported at 11:40 am local time after someone saw the Beechcraft AA 45 plane – also known as the T-34 – crash.
After launching a search and rescue mission, Anders’ death was confirmed by his son, Greg, on Friday night.
“The family is devastated. He was a great pilot. We will miss him,” read a family statement obtained by the local NBC affiliate. KING.
In the video, the plane can be seen nose-diving toward the water before swerving and skidding on the surface.
The water turned yellow as it hit before sinking 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 took the photo known as Earthrise, showing the view of the moon.
Tributes poured in for the late astronaut, with many remembering him for the iconic photo he took of the moon.
Senator Mark Kelly, himself a former astronaut, shared condolences on X, formerly Twitter.
“Bill Anders forever changed our perspective of our planet and ourselves with his famous Apollo 8 Earthrise photo. He inspired me and generations of astronauts and explorers. My thoughts are with his family and friends,” he wrote Kelly.
“Apollo8 lunar module pilot Bill Anders, the man behind the camera responsible for capturing one of humanity’s most powerful #Earthrise images flew west. Rest assured, sir,” wrote another person on X.
“Legendary astronaut and photographer. A hero to me and many,” said another person.
“It’s good to know he died doing what he loved. He is best known for his trip to the moon on Apollo 8 where he took this photo,” wrote another.
“Now we have only 6 survivors from the 24 humans who flew to the vicinity of the Moon”, pointed out another person.
HISTORICAL 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 manned spacecraft to leave Earth’s gravitational pull and marked the first humans to see the far side of the Moon.
Apollo 8 took 68 hours to travel from Earth to the Moon.
The crew orbited the Moon ten times over twenty hours without landing.
While orbiting, they made a television broadcast on Christmas Eve and read the first ten verses of the Book of Genesis.
On Christmas morning, mission control waited for news that Apollo 8’s engine burn to leave lunar orbit had worked.
They knew this when fellow astronaut Jim Lovell radioed: “Roger, please be informed that Santa Claus exists.”
The spacecraft returned to Earth on December 27.
Anders served as the Apollo 8 lunar module pilot.
He was also a reserve pilot on Gemini XI and Apollo 11.
On December 21, 1968, the Apollo 8 mission became the first manned spacecraft to leave Earth’s gravitational pull and reach the Moon.
The trip took 68 hours for astronauts Anders, Jim Lovell and Frank Borman, who died in November 2023.
Anders considered the photo he took during this mission to be his most significant contribution to the space program, noting its ecological and philosophical impact, as reported by the Fox affiliate KHON.
“We were walking backwards and upside down, we didn’t really see the Earth or the Sun, and when we rolled over and turned around and we saw the first Earthrise,” he said of capturing the infamous image, according to KHON.
“That was certainly by far the most impressive thing. Seeing this very delicate, colorful orb that to me looked like a Christmas tree ornament rising over this ugly, stark lunar landscape was really contrasting.”
Anders retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1988.
In 1991, he became president and CEO of General Dynamics Corporation, stepping down two years later but remaining president until 1994.
In 1993, Anders and his wife, Valerie, with whom he shared six children and 13 grandchildren, moved to Orcas Island.
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