Astronaut William Anders, who took the 'Earthrise' photo, dies in plane crash

NASA retired astronaut William Anders, who took the 'Earthrise' photo during the 1968 Apollo 8 mission and was one of the first three humans to orbit the Moon, has died at the age of 90 in a plane crash in Washington.

According to Reuters, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson shared a post on his social media account regarding Anders, who lost his life when the small plane he was in crashed on Friday, June 7. Sharing the 'Earthrise' photo taken as it rose above the lunar horizon, Nelson stated that the former Air Force pilot 'gave to humanity one of the deepest gifts an astronaut can give.'

HERITAGE FLIGHT MUSEUM CONFIRMED

The Heritage Flight Museum in Burlington, which William Anders co-founded, also confirmed that Anders lost his life in the plane crash.

Anders was piloting the plane alone when it crashed off the coast of Jones Island, between Washington and Vancouver Island.

According to information shared by the KCPQ-TV television channel, Anders was flying a single-engine T-34 Mentor aircraft that he owned. Video footage broadcast on KCPQ showed a plane descending rapidly before crashing into the water.

News Source: 12punto