William Anders, the former US astronaut who captured the iconic “Earthrise” photo during the Apollo 8 mission, died on June 7, 2024, at the age of 90. His family reported that Anders was piloting a small plane that crashed into the water off the coast of Washington state. He was alone in the plane at the time of the crash.
Sheriff Eric Peter informed AFP that search teams are combing the area, but a body has yet to be found.
Anders was part of the historic Apollo 8 mission in December 1968, which marked the first manned mission to orbit the Moon. Alongside fellow astronauts Frank Borman and James Lovell, Anders orbited the Moon ten times without landing before safely returning to Earth on December 27, 1968.
During one of the lunar orbits, Anders took the famous “Earthrise” photo, showing the Earth emerging over the Moon’s horizon. This image has since become one of the most iconic photographs in history, frequently cited in lists of significant historical images and featured in Life Magazine’s book “100 Photographs that Changed The World.” An original version of the photo sold at a Copenhagen auction in 2022 for 11,800 euros.
“In 1968, during Apollo 8, Bill Anders offered to humanity among the deepest of gifts an astronaut can give,” NASA chief Bill Nelson wrote on the social media platform X. “He traveled to the threshold of the Moon and helped all of us see something else: ourselves. He embodied the lessons and the purpose of exploration. We will miss him,” Nelson added.
A Distinguished Career
Born on October 17, 1933, in Hong Kong, Anders graduated from the US Naval Academy and later earned a master’s degree in nuclear engineering. After his astronaut career, he held various technology-related government positions, including becoming the first chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and later serving as the US ambassador to Norway. In the early 1990s, he served as CEO and chairman of General Dynamics, a major US defense and aerospace company, before retiring.
Of the Apollo 8 crew, only James Lovell, 96, remains alive. Frank Borman passed away in November 2023 at the age of 95. Lovell was also a member of the Apollo 13 mission, which faced a near-catastrophe but was later immortalized in a Hollywood film.
The last human mission to the Moon was Apollo 17 in 1972. However, NASA plans to send new astronauts, including the first woman and person of color, to the Moon in the coming years.