San Diegan, Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders killed in Washington plane crash
Anders grew up in San Diego County and attended Grossmont High School. Former Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, known for his iconic "Earthrise" photo, was killed in a plane crash off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. Anders, who took the photo showing Earth as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was piloting alone when the plane he was flying. The iconic photo is credited with changing how humans view Earth from space and inspiring generations of astronauts and explorers. The Apollo 8 mission in 1968 was the first human spaceflight to leave low-Earth orbit and travel to the moon and back, setting the stage for the Apollo moon landing seven months later.
ที่ตีพิมพ์ : 3 อาทิตย์ที่แล้ว โดย Jayne Yutig ใน Science General
Anders took the iconic "Earthrise" photo showing the planet as a blue marble from space.
SEATTLE — William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic "Earthrise" photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He was 90.
“The daring and bravery of Apollo 8’s crew of Bill Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, who became the first astronauts on the first flight to the Moon is considered by many to the be one of the brightest – if not the brightest – in the American Space program’s quest to walk the Moon. Because of them we knew flying to the Moon was possible. It’s one the most incredible feats in the history of NASA.”
“Bill was such an incredible and accomplished pilot and leader, who also loved his dear wife Valerie and his amazing family. I considered him more like a second Dad and he was always a personal inspiration to me," Kidrick said.
The photograph, the first color image of Earth from space, is one of the most important photos in modern history for the way it changed how humans viewed the planet. The photo is credited with sparking the global environmental movement for showing how delicate and isolated Earth appeared from space.
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 and one that set the stage for the Apollo moon landing seven months later.
"Bill Anders forever changed our perspective of our planet and ourselves with his famous Earthrise photo on Apollo 8," Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who is also a retired NASA astronaut, wrote on X. "He inspired me and generations of astronauts and explorers. My thoughts are with his family and friends."
William Anders said in an 1997 NASA oral history interview that he didn't think the Apollo 8 mission was risk-free but there were important national, patriotic and exploration reasons for going ahead. He estimated there was about a one in three chance that the crew wouldn't make it back and the same chance the mission would be a success and the same chance that the mission wouldn't start to begin with. He said he suspected Christopher Columbus sailed with worse odds.
"We'd been going backwards and upside down, didn't really see the Earth or the Sun, and when we rolled around and came around and saw the first Earthrise," he said. "That certainly was, by far, the most impressive thing. To see this very delicate, colorful orb which to me looked like a Christmas tree ornament coming up over this very stark, ugly lunar landscape really contrasted."
หัวข้อ: Space