SEATTLE (AP) — Retired Maj. The general. William Anders, the elder Apollo 8 The astronaut who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo showing the planet as a shaded blue marble from space in 1968 was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plunged into the waters off the San Juan Islands, Washington State. He was 90 years old. His son, retired Air Force Lt. Collar. Greg Anders confirmed the death to the Associated Press.
“The family is devastated,” Greg Anders said. “He was a great pilot and will be missed terribly.”
William Anders said the photo was his most significant contribution to the space program, given its ecological and philosophical impact, while ensuring the operation of the Apollo 8 command module and service module.
The photograph, the first color image of Earth from space, is one of the most important photos in modern history because it changed the way humans viewed the planet. The photo is credited with sparking the global environmental movement for showing how delicate and isolated Earth appeared from space.
The senator from Arizona. Mark Kelly, who is also a retired NASA astronaut, wrote on the social platform My thoughts are with his family and friends.
A report came in around 11:40 a.m. that an older model plane crashed into the water and sank near the north end of Jones Island, said San Juan County Sheriff Eric To fart.
Only the pilot was aboard the Beech A45 plane at the time, according to the Federal Aviation Association.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA are investigating the accident.
William Anders said in 1997 NASA Oral History interview that he did not think the Apollo 8 mission was safe, but that there were important national, patriotic, and exploratory reasons for pursuing it. He estimated that there was about a one in three chance that the crew would not return and that there was an equal chance that the mission would be a success and that it would not start. He said he suspected that Columbus had sailed with worse odds.
He understood how Earth seemed fragile and physically insignificant, yet it was his home.
“We had gone backwards and upside down, we hadn’t really seen the Earth or the Sun, and when we turned around and came back and saw the first Earthrise,” he said . “That was definitely the most impressive thing by far. Seeing this very delicate and colorful orb that to me looked like a Christmas tree decoration popping up against this very stark and ugly moonscape was really contrasting.
Anders and his wife Valerie founded the Heritage Flight Museum in Washington state in 1996. It is now based at a regional airport in Burlington and includes 15 aircraft, several vintage military vehicles, a library and many artifacts donated by alumni fighters, according to the museum’s website. Two of his sons helped him run it.
The couple moved to Orcas Island in the San Juan Archipelago in 1993 and maintained a second home in their hometown of San Diego, according to a biography posted on the museum’s website. They had six children and 13 grandchildren.