Former Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders who took the iconic “Earthrise” photo in 1968, showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space, has died in a plane crash. He was 90.
The background: Anders was killed on Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington.
William Anders’ photo of earth from space inspired the global environmental movement. Source: AAP / Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
His photograph, the first colour image of Earth from space, is one of the most important photos in modern history for how it changed how humans viewed the planet.
The photo is credited with sparking the global environmental movement by showing how delicate and isolated the Earth appeared from space.
The key quote: “He traveled to the threshold of the Moon and helped all of us see something else: ourselves.” — NASA Administrator and former senator Bill Nelson wrote on the social platform X.
What else to know: The Apollo 8 mission in December 1968 was the first human spaceflight to leave low-Earth orbit and travel to the moon and back. It was NASA’s boldest and perhaps most dangerous voyage yet.
Anders snapped the photo during the crew’s fourth orbit of the moon, frantically switching from black-and-white to colour film.
He was born on 17 October 1933, in Hong Kong. In 1983, he was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame. Anders is survived by his wife, their six children and 13 grandchildren.
