Yesterday, June 7, 2024, William Anders, an Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic “East of the Earth” photograph in 1968 while orbiting the moon, died in a plane crash. This was reported by the Associated Press news agency.
A single-engine Beechcraft T-34 Mentor belonging to Anders crashed into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington State after a failed maneuver. At the helm of the plane was William Anders, who, at that time, had already turned 90 years old.
His son, Greg Anders, confirmed his father’s death to The Associated Press. A video appeared on social networks, which probably recorded the moment of the plane crash.
In late 1968, William Anders flew into space as part of the Apollo 8 crew, the first ever manned spacecraft to orbit the moon. During this flight, he took an iconic photo of the Earth rising above the surface of the moon.
This is one of the most famous pictures of the Earth from space. Retired Major General William Anders considered the photo to be his most important contribution to the space program, given the environmental and philosophical impact it had.
This photo is believed to have sparked a global environmental movement by showing how fragile the Earth looks from space. William Anders has a crater on the moon named in his honor.
Earlier, China announced that its Chanye-6 spacecraft had placed the country’s flag on the far side of the moon. This happened before a specially designed part of the ship launched with samples of lunar soil that would be delivered to Earth.
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