William Anders, Apollo 8 Astronaut Who Clicked ‘Earthrise,’ Dies in Plane Crash

William Anders, Apollo 8 Astronaut Who Clicked ‘Earthrise,’ Dies in Plane Crash

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

Washington: William Anders, the Apollo 8 astronaut who captured the iconic “Earthrise” photograph during the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon, has died in a plane crash. He was 95 years old.

Anders, along with astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, traveled to the Moon aboard the Apollo 8 spacecraft in December 1968. On Christmas Eve, they became the first humans to orbit the Moon, capturing the now-famous “Earthrise” photograph that changed the way humanity viewed our planet.

“To see the Earth as it truly is, small and fragile, and beautiful… it was almost as if the Earth had said, ‘This is what I look like. Here I am, and I’m fragile.'” Anders later recalled about the experience.

After the Apollo 8 mission, Anders served as executive secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council from 1969 to 1973. He also served as a United Nations ambassador for environmental issues.

On July 29, 2023, Anders was piloting a small plane when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. He was the only person on board.

Anders’s death marks the passing of one of the last surviving Apollo astronauts. His legacy as an explorer and environmentalist will continue to inspire generations to come.