SEATTLE — William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who captured the iconic “Earthrise” photograph of the globe as a dark blue marble from space in 1968, died Friday when the plane he was operating alone crashed into the waters of the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He was ninety.
His son, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Anders, confirmed his death to The Associated Press.
“The family is devastated,” he explained. “He was a great pilot and we will miss him terribly.”
William Anders, a former major general, stated that the photo was his most significant contribution to the space program and ensured that the Apollo 8 command and service modules operated.
Former Astronaut William Anders, Who Took Iconic Earthrise Photo, Killed In Washington Plane Crash
The shot, the first color image of Earth from space, is one of the most significant images in modern history because it altered how humanity perceived the globe. The photograph is credited with igniting the global environmental movement by demonstrating how fragile and alone Earth seemed from orbit.
NASA Administrator and former Senator Bill Nelson stated that Anders personified the teachings and purpose of exploration.
“He went to the
Nelson stated on the social media X that he helped everyone see something else: themselves.
Anders took the photo during the crew’s fourth lunar orbit, quickly switching from black-and-white to color film.
“Oh my God, look at that picture over there!” Anders stated. “The Earth is coming up. “Wow, is that beautiful!”
The Apollo 8 mission, launched in December 1968, was the first human spacecraft to depart low Earth orbit and journey to and from the moon. NASA’s most daring and potentially dangerous mission laid the groundwork for the Apollo lunar landing seven months later.
“Bill Anders forever changed our perspective of our planet and ourselves with his famous Earthrise photo on Apollo 8,” Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a veteran NASA astronaut, wrote on X. “He inspired me and subsequent generations of astronauts and explorers. “My thoughts are with his family and friends.
Around 11:40 a.m., San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter reported that an older-model jet had fallen into the water and sank on the north end of Jones Island. Greg Anders told KING-TV that his father’s body was retrieved Friday afternoon.
According to the Federal Aviation Association, the Beech A45 only carried the pilot.
In a 1997 NASA oral history interview, William Anders stated that he did not believe the Apollo 8 mission was risk-free but that there were compelling national, patriotic, and exploration reasons for proceeding. He assessed that there was a one in three chance that the crew would not return, the mission would succeed, and the mission would not begin. He felt Christopher Columbus faced harder odds.
He described how Earth appeared weak and physically tiny, yet it was home.
Former Astronaut William Anders, Who Took Iconic Earthrise Photo, Killed In Washington Plane Crash
“We’d been going backward 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 explained. “That was, by far, the most impressive aspect. “To see this very delicate, colorful orb, which to me looked like a Christmas tree ornament, rising above this very stark, ugly lunar landscape, really contrasted.”
In retrospect, Anders stated that he wished he had taken more images, but mission Commander Frank Borman was concerned about everyone’s rest and pushed Anders and Command Module Pilot James A. Lovell, Jr. to sleep, “which probably made sense.”
Chip Fletcher, a University of Hawaii professor who studied coastal erosion and climate change, remembers seeing the photograph as a child.
“It just opened up my brain to realize that we are alone but together,” he added, adding that it continues to influence him now.
“It’s one of those images that never leaves my mind,” he stated. “And I think that’s true of many, many people in many professions.”
In 1966, Anders was a backup crew member for Apollo 11 and Gemini XI, but he only flew to space once, on Apollo 8.
Anders was born on October 17, 1933, in Hong Kong. His father was a Navy officer at the time, serving on the USS Panay, a gunboat on China’s Yangtze River.
Anders and his wife, Valerie, established the Heritage Flight Museum in Washington State in 1996. According to the museum’s website, it is presently located at a minor airfield in Burlington and houses 15 aircraft, many historic military vehicles, a library, and numerous relics contributed by veterans. His two sons assisted him in running it.
Former Astronaut William Anders, Who Took Iconic Earthrise Photo, Killed In Washington Plane Crash
According to a biography on the museum’s website, the couple relocated to Orcas Island in the San Juan archipelago in 1993 but maintained a second house in their birthplace of San Diego. They had six children and thirteen grandchildren. Their current Washington residence was in Anacortes.
1955, Anders graduated from the Naval Academy and joined the Air Force as a fighter pilot.
He then served on the Atomic Energy Commission, as chairman of the joint US-USSR nuclear fission and fusion technology exchange program, and as ambassador to Norway. His NASA biography states that he went on to work for General Electric and General Dynamics.
SOURCE – (AP)
