Retired Major General William Anders, an Apollo-era NASA astronaut renowned for taking the iconic "Earthrise" photo during the Apollo 8 mission, died at age 90 in a plane crash while flying his vintage aircraft.
Anders was a highly accomplished military pilot who was part of the first crew to orbit the Moon and later founded the Heritage Flight Museum in Washington state.
His distinguished career included serving in high-level government positions like the Atomic Energy Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as well as leadership roles in civilian aviation companies, alongside his lifelong passion for flying.
Retired Major General William Anders, military pilot, Apollo-era NASA astronaut, and founder of the Heritage Flight Museum in Washington state was killed Friday while flying his Beechcraft T-34A Mentor. He was 90.
In a statement, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson remembered Anders as the embodiment of the lessons and purpose of exploration.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
