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NASA astronaut and US Air Force major general William Anders died earlier today after his plane crashed near his home in Washington state. Anders was part of NASA, the U.S.' and humanity's first crewed mission to the Moon after he flew to Earth's closest cosmic body on the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. The astronaut, fighter and test pilot made history with his iconic photograph of the Earth from the Moon, dubbed Earthrise. Like his other achievements, this photo was another first, as it became the first colored image of the Earth from the Moon. Anders' son confirmed the crash and its outcome to the Associated Press.
NASA Astronaut Leaves Behind Trailblazing Legacy Of Lunar Exploration That Will Never Be Emulated
An aviator for life, Anders set up the Heritage Foundation after his retirement. While his historic lunar mission is dubbed Apollo 8, it was the second successful crewed mission of the Apollo program and the first that saw humans make their way to the Moon. Accompanying Anders were NASA astronauts Frank Borman and James Lowell, with Borman as commander and Lovell piloting the spacecraft and being the most experienced crew member.
Since the Apollo missions packed a lunar lander and return vehicle in one package, NASA had to assign two pilots. One of these would fly the command module, and the other would be responsible for navigating the lunar lander to and from the lunar surface. For Apollo 8, Anders was the astronaut trained to fly the lunar module, which meant he had an easier flight since NASA could not certify Apollo 8's lunar lander for flight.
As a result, while Apollo 8 was the first human spaceflight to the Moon, it also restricted the crew to simply orbit the Moon instead of going further to land. NASA's training and testing cadence had first sought to test the lunar lander in Earth orbit as part of Apollo 8, but the agency was forced to scrap these plans and send the command module to the Moon instead.
While Anders didn't have a lunar lander to fly, he nevertheless managed to make history in the flight. His most iconic contribution to the space program, in his own words, was this photograph and his work to ensure that the command module remained stable during its first Moon mission. Along with the Earth, Anders also took photos of the lunar surface to help with future Apollo missions.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson honored Anders' memory in a social media post, sharing that not only did Anders "offered to humanity among the deepest of gifts an astronaut can give," but he also allowed humans to see themselves. His photograph of the Earth is one of the most iconic images in history and helped movements aimed at preserving the planet's ecology.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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