Former Astronaut William Anders, Photographer of Iconic Earthrise Photo, Dies in Washington Plane Crash

Former Astronaut William Anders, Photographer of Iconic Earthrise Photo, Dies in Washington Plane Crash

Washington, D.C. – Former astronaut William Anders, who captured the iconic Earthrise photograph during the Apollo 8 mission and later served as a U.N. ambassador, has died in a plane crash in Washington state. He was 89.

Anders was on board a Cessna Citation 550 jet that crashed on Friday near a small airport in southwestern Washington, killing all 10 people aboard. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Apollo 8 Mission

Anders was the lunar module pilot on the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, which was the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon. During the mission, the crew (Anders, Frank Borman, and Jim Lovell) became the first humans to see the Earth as a whole from space.

On Christmas Eve, 1968, Anders took the now-famous photograph of Earth rising over the lunar horizon. The image became one of the most widely seen and reproduced photographs in history.

Career after NASA

After leaving NASA, Anders served as chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and as a U.S. ambassador to Norway and Morocco. He was also a prominent advocate for environmental protection.

Legacy

William Anders’s legacy will live on through his iconic photograph and his contributions to space exploration and diplomacy. He was a visionary who helped humanity to see our planet in a new light, inspiring generations to come.