William Anders, Apollo 8 Astronaut Who Took the Famous Earthrise Photo, Dies in Plane Crash
Anders was 90 years old.
His son Greg Anders confirmed the death to CBS News, saying that the plane which crashed belonged to his father.
William Anders, a NASA astronaut who was part of the 1968 Apollo 8 crew who were the first three people to orbit the moon, has died in a plane crash in Washington. Anders was 90 years old, and was the youngest astronaut on the crew. He was the one who captured the Earthrise photo, the first colored picture of the Earth.
Anders' son, Greg, confirmed the death to CBS News. He said that the plane which crashed belonged to his father. The plane crashed in a field near Arlington, Washington, about 30 miles north of Seattle. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Anders was born in Hong Kong in 1933. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1955 and became a fighter pilot. He was selected to join NASA's astronaut program in 1963.
Anders' death is a loss to the space community. He was a pioneer in space exploration, and his work helped to inspire a generation of scientists and engineers.
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