Former astronaut William Anders died in plane crash

Washington (EFE).- Former Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who in 1968 took the iconic photograph showing the Earth rising above the horizon of the Moon, died this Friday at the age of 90 when the small plane he was flying in crashed. crashed in Seattle confirmed.

“In 1968, during the Apollo 8 flight, Will Anders gave humanity one of the most valuable gifts an astronaut can give. “He walked to the moon and helped us all see something else: ourselves,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on the Agency X account.

“He embodied the lessons and purpose of the study. “We will miss him,” he said.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s Pacific Northwest Division and the San Juan Sheriff’s Office responded this afternoon to a call about an accident between Orcas Island and Johns Island in Washington state that involved an older model small plane that sank after crashing into the water, NBC reported. . .

At that time it was unknown how many people were on the ship.

famous photo

On December 24, 1968, Anders, along with astronauts Frank Borman, who was the mission commander, and Jim Lovell, became the first to orbit the Moon and the first to witness the image captured in the famous photograph.

While the spacecraft was spinning, Anders took this iconic Earthrise photo, which shows the Earth rising above the Moon’s horizon.

In 2018, the International Astronomical Union commemorated the event by naming the 25-mile-diameter crater “Anders Earthrise.”

The photograph made it possible to see the planet from a great distance for the first time.

“When the Earth appeared above the lunar horizon, that’s when I was truly amazed at how much more delicate and colorful the Earth had become,” Anders said in a 2018 interview on the “Today Show” to mark the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking mission.

After 25 hours of flight, Andres began taking photographs. The former astronaut also said in the interview that he believed he had a one in three chance of not surviving the Apollo 8 mission, NBC further noted.

Anders, born in Hong Kong on October 17, 1933, was also the backup pilot for the Gemini XI mission and the Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first men on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Before becoming an astronaut in 1964, Anders was an Air Force fighter pilot and had four sons and two daughters.

Among those mourning Anders’ death is senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly.

“Anders forever changed the way we view 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 noted on his X account.