Apollo 8 Astronaut Anders, Who Took Iconic ‘Earthrise’ Photo, Reported Dead in Plane Crash

Apollo 8 Astronaut Anders, Who Took Iconic ‘Earthrise’ Photo, Reported Dead in Plane Crash

Keywords: Apollo 8, Earthrise, William Anders, NASA, Plane Crash

William Anders, the Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photograph, died on Thursday in a plane crash in Colorado, according to a statement from NASA. He was 85 years old.

Anders was a member of the Apollo 8 mission, which in 1968 became the first crewed spacecraft to orbit the Moon. During the mission, Anders captured the “Earthrise” photo, which became one of the most iconic images in human history.

The photo shows the Earth rising over the Moon’s horizon, and it has been widely credited with helping to raise environmental awareness and inspiring the modern environmental movement.

Anders was born in Hong Kong and grew up in California. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1955 and served as an Air Force pilot before joining NASA.

After the Apollo 8 mission, Anders continued to work for NASA in various roles, including as a science adviser to the Apollo 11 mission, which landed the first humans on the Moon.

He later became a businessman and environmental activist. He was a co-founder of the Earth Day Network and served on the board of the World Wildlife Fund.

Anders’s death is a loss to the world of space exploration and environmentalism. His iconic “Earthrise” photo will continue to inspire generations to come.