Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in plane crash (2024)

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Retired American astronaut William Anders, who was a member of the Apollo 8 crew, has been identified as the pilot inside the plane that crashed in the waters off the San Juan Islands on Friday afternoon. According to flight data and FAA records, FOX 13 Seattle has confirmed the plane that c…

SEATTLE — Retired Maj. Gen. William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He was 90. His son, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Anders, confirmed the death to The Associated Press.

“The family is devastated,” Greg Anders said. “He was a great pilot and we will miss him terribly.”

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in plane crash (1)

William Anders hassaid the photo was his most significant contribution to the space program, given the ecological philosophical impact it had, along with making sure the Apollo 8 command module and service module worked.

The photograph, the first color image of Earth from space, is one of the most important photos in modern history for the way it changed how humans viewed the planet. The photo is credited with sparking theglobal environmental movement for showing how delicate and isolated Earth appeared from space.

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NASA Administrator and former Sen. Bill Nelson said Anders embodied the lessons and the purpose of exploration.

“He traveled to the threshold of the Moon and helped all of us see something else: ourselves,” Nelson wrote on the social platform X.

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in plane crash (2)

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in plane crash (3)

Anders snapped the photo during the crew’s fourth orbit of the moon, frantically switching from black-and-white to color film.

“Oh my God, look at that picture over there!” Anders said. “There’s the Earth coming up. Wow, is that pretty!”

TheApollo 8 missionin December 1968 was the first human spaceflight to leave low-Earth orbit and travel to the moon and back. It was NASA’s boldest and perhaps most dangerous voyage yet and one that set the stage for the Apollo moon landing seven months later.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who is also a retired NASA astronaut, wrote on the social platform X, "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.”

A report came in around11:40 a.m. that an older-model plane crashed into the water and sank near the north end of Jones Island, San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter said.

Only the pilot was onboard the Beech A45 airplane at the time, according to the Federal Aviation Association.

William Anders said in an 1997NASA oral historyinterview that he didn’t think the Apollo 8 mission was risk-free but there were important national, patriotic and exploration reasons for going ahead. He estimated there was about one in three chance that the crew wouldn’t make it back and the same chance the mission would be a success and the same chance that the mission wouldn’t start to begin with. He said he suspected Christopher Columbus sailed with worse odds.

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in plane crash (4)

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in plane crash (5)

He recounted how earth looked fragile and seemingly physically insignificant, yet was home.

“We’d been goingbackwards 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. “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 and his wife, Valerie, founded the Heritage Flight Museum in Washington state in 1996. It is now based at a regional airport in Burlington, and features 15 aircrafts, several antique military vehicles, a library and many artifacts donated by veterans, according to the museum’s website. Two of his sons helped him run it.

The couple moved to Orcas Island, in the San Juan archipelago, in 1993, and kept a second home in their hometown of San Diego, according to a biography on the museum's website. They had six children and 13 grandchildren.

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Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in plane crash (2024)

FAQs

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in plane crash? ›

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders who took iconic 'Earthrise' photo dies in plane crash. William Anders, a NASA astronaut who was part of the 1968 Apollo 8 crew who were the first three people to orbit the moon, has died in a plane crash in Washington state, according to his son, Gregory Anders. He was 90 years old.

Who took the Apollo 8 Earthrise photo? ›

SEATTLE (AP) — William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state.

What plane was William Anders flying when he died? ›

The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS News in a statement that the Beech A45 with only the pilot aboard went down in the waters off Roche Harbor, which is located on San Juan Island, at about 11:40 a.m. local time.

Where did Bill Anders crash? ›

Who took the famous picture of Earth from space? ›

NASA astronaut Bill Anders, who took famous photo of Earth during Apollo, dies at 90 : NPR. NASA astronaut Bill Anders, who took famous photo of Earth during Apollo, dies at 90 One of the first astronauts to go to the moon has died. Bill Anders was on Apollo 8 when it entered lunar orbit in 1968.

Are any Apollo 8 astronauts still alive? ›

This would also be the first case of a commander of a previous mission (Lovell, Gemini XII) flying as a non-commander. This was also the first mission to reunite crewmates from a previous mission (Lovell and Borman, Gemini VII). As of June 2024, James Lovell is the last surviving Apollo 8 astronaut.

Why is the Earthrise photo so famous? ›

It was the first colour photograph of Earth taken from space and quickly circulated around the world. The photo is widely credited with propelling the global environmental movement and leading to the creation of Earth Day, an annual event promoting environmental activism and awareness, in 1970.

Was there a real flight 180? ›

Additionally, Flight 180 was confirmed to be related to, inspired by, and loosely based on the real-life crash of TWA Flight 800 that occurred on July 17, 1996, near East Moriches, which also involved a Boeing 747-230.

How old is William Anders? ›

Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders held many titles in his life. He was, of course, an astronaut, but also an Air Force pilot, engineer, museum co-founder, U.S. ambassador, and more. People might not think to call Anders, who died last week at the age of 90, a photographer.

Who tried to fly a plane around the world? ›

In the early 1920s several countries were vying to be the first to fly around the world. The British had made one unsuccessful around-the-world air flight attempt in 1922. The following year, a French team had tried; the Italians, Portuguese, and British also announced plans for a world-circling flight.

Who was the second person to walk on the moon? ›

19 minutes later Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin joined Armstrong and became the second man to set foot on the Moon.

Where did William Anders live? ›

General Anders lived in Washington State, where he and his wife founded a flight museum in 1996. Although 12 Americans would walk on the moon, he was not among them; Apollo 8 was his only spaceflight. But he never appeared bothered by this.

Who was the man who lost in space? ›

The first was Vladimir Komarov on 24 April 1967, when the parachute on the landing capsule of his Soyuz 1 mission failed… to open. This was the first crewed flight of the Soyuz spacecraft that is still used to send people to the International Space Station.

What is the real shape of Earth? ›

The Earth is an irregularly shaped ellipsoid.

While the Earth appears to be round when viewed from the vantage point of space, it is actually closer to an ellipsoid.

What is the most famous photo of the Earth? ›

Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of Earth taken on February 14, 1990, by the Voyager 1 space probe from an unprecedented distance of approximately 6 billion kilometers (3.7 billion miles, 40.5 AU), as part of that day's Family Portrait series of images of the Solar System.

Who took the man on the moon photo? ›

The only full-body photograph of Neil Armstrong on the moon shows him working at the Apollo 11 lunar module "Eagle." The first man to set foot on the lunar surface was inadvertently captured on film by Buzz Aldrin, who was tasked with taking a series of panoramic photos.

Who shot Earthrise? ›

Christian Davenport on X: "William Anders, Apollo 8 astronaut who shot 'Earthrise,' dies in plane crash https://t.co/0Yvd8BnrP4" / X.

Who took the picture of the moon and Earth? ›

It shows the earth rising against the barren lunar landscape on the first human mission to the moon in 1968. Apollo astronaut Bill Anders, who captured one of the most famous images ever recorded in space, has died at age 90. His son, Greg Anders, told NPR his dad died Friday in a plane crash in Washington state.

Who took the picture of Mars? ›

Taken by the Viking 1 lander shortly after it touched down on Mars, this image is the first photograph ever taken from the surface of Mars. It was taken on July 20, 1976.

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