The former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the famous Earthrise photo died Friday, June 7, after the plane he was piloting crashed into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. William Anders was 90 years old, The Guardian reports.
“The family is devastated”, testified his son, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Greg Anders, who also confirmed the tragic news to the Associated Press. “He was a great pilot and we will miss him terriblyAnders added.
According to the Federal Aviation Association, only Anders was in the Beech A45 at the time of the accident.
William Anders died at the age of 90. Photo YouTube video capture
Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, himself a retired NASA astronaut, relayed that Anders was “a source of inspiration“.
“Bill Anders forever changed our view of our planet and ourselves with his famous Earthrise photograph taken during the Apollo 8 mission. He was an inspiration to me and to generations of astronauts and explorers. My thoughts are with his family and friends” Kelly wrote on the X platform.
A report was made about 11:40 a.m. that an older plane had crashed and sunk near the north end of Jones Island, San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter said.
“A real contrast”
In a 1997 interview, Anders admitted that he did not think the Apollo 8 mission was without risk. Moreover, he appreciated that there was a possibility that the crew would not return to Earth or that the mission would not take place.
Anders described the experience in a BBC documentary about the mission. He remembered that Earth seemed fragile and seemingly insignificant, but he was still home.
“We were walking with our backs and heads down, we couldn't really see the Earth or the Sun, and when we turned around and saw the first sunrise of the EarthAnders confessed. “That was definitely by far the most impressive thing. To see this very delicate and colorful sphere, which to me looked like a Christmas tree ornament, poking out over this very ugly lunar landscape was a real contrast“.
Earthrise Photography. Photo: Archive
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the incident.
The former astronaut and his wife, Valerie, founded the Heritage Flight Museum in Washington state in 1996. Today, it is located at a regional airport in Burlington and is home to 15 aircraft, several vintage military vehicles, a library and many artifacts donated by veterans, according to the museum's website.
The couple settled on Orcas Island in the San Juan Archipelago in 1993 and continued to have a second home in their hometown of San Diego, according to a biography on the museum's website. They had six children and 13 grandchildren.
