There is a photo that almost all of us have seen and many of us have seen it multiple times. It is a photo called ‘Earthrise’ and it was taken when Apollo 8 was in lunar orbit.

The astronaut who took that picture, William Anders, is remembered by many. Not only was he one of the first to go into space, he also took the iconic picture that we love down to this day.

Unfortunately, Anders has died at the age of 90. Unlike many his age who may have died from old age or illness, he died due to a tragic accident.

Despite the fact that Anders was 90 years old, he was still very active and at the time of his death and he was flying a Beechcraft plane. Something went wrong as they were flying, and the plane crashed in the waters near the San Juan Islands in Washington state.

He died following the crash and he was the only one on the plane at the time. His body was later recovered by the Coast Guard on Friday, June 7, 2024.

Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator shared the following: “Bill Anders offered to humanity among the deepest of gifts an astronaut can give. He traveled to the threshold of the Moon and helped all of us see something else: ourselves. He embodied the lessons and the purpose of exploration. We will miss him.”

Anders took the famous Earthrise photograph on Christmas Eve in 1968. Humans were in lunar orbit for the first time and they had never seen the dark side of the moon before.

Although Anders was never able to make it out into space after that epic flight, he continued to work in aeronautics. Pres. Richard Nixon even appointed him as executive secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council in 1969.

In the statement given by Nelson, he mentioned that Anders contributed a lot to the world while he was alive. He said: “The voyage Bill took in 1968 was only one of the many remarkable chapters in Bill’s life and service to humanity. In his 26 years of service to our country, Bill was many things – U.S. Air Force officer, astronaut, engineer, ambassador, advisor, and much more.”

May he rest in peace.

Learn more about his life in the following video: