William Anders, astronaut who participated in the 1968 Apollo 8 mission, which was the first to orbit the Moon, also taking the famous photo of the “rising Earth”, has died, aged 90, in a plane crash. He was the one who piloted it: it happened in Washington state. “My father died in a plane crash on the San Juan Islands, the family is devastated and mourns the death of a great pilot,” his son, Greg Anders, told CNN. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that a plane crashed into the sea off the coast of Jones Island. The Coast Guard then announced that a team of divers recovered the body of the pilot, the only one on board the two-seater, described as an “old model of aircraft”.
Born in 1933
Born in October 1933 in Hong Kong, Anders entered the United States Naval Academy and then joined the US Air Force, becoming a fighter pilot. In 1964 he was selected by NASA as an astronaut, participating in several missions. The Apollo 8 mission was launched on December 21, 1968 to orbit the Moon in preparation for the Apollo 11 mission which landed on the Moon the following year. Anders was the pilot of the lunar module, Frank Borman, who was the commander, and James Lovell Jr. also participated in the mission.
in-depth analysis
Astronaut Frank Borman, commander of the Apollo 8 mission, has died
The condolence
Among the various messages of condolence there was also that of NASA administrator Bill Nelson. “In 1968, during Apollo 8, Bill Anders gave humanity one of the most profound gifts an astronaut can give. He traveled to the edge of the Moon and helped us all see something else: ourselves. He embodied the lessons and purpose of exploration will be missed,” reads a post on X.
