Retired Astronaut William Anders Dies in Plane Crash at 90

Washington State, The Gulf Observer: Retired astronaut William Anders, renowned for being one of the first three humans to orbit the moon and capturing the famed “Earthrise” photo during NASA’s Apollo 8 mission in 1968, tragically died on Friday in a small airplane crash. He was 90 years old.

NASA chief Bill Nelson paid tribute to Anders on social media, sharing the iconic image of Earth rising over the lunar horizon. Nelson remarked that Anders, a former Air Force pilot, “offered to humanity among the deepest of gifts an astronaut can give.”

The Heritage Flight Museum near Burlington, Washington, which Anders co-founded, confirmed his death in an aircraft accident. According to The Seattle Times, Anders was piloting the plane alone when it went down off the coast of Jones Island, part of the San Juan Islands archipelago north of Seattle, between Washington and Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The report cited his son, Greg Anders.

Local television station KCPQ-TV, a Fox affiliate in Tacoma, reported that Anders, a resident of San Juan County, was at the controls of a vintage Air Force single-engine T-34 Mentor that he owned.

Anders’ contributions to space exploration and his legacy in capturing the “Earthrise” photo have left an indelible mark on history, inspiring generations of explorers and dreamers alike.