Retired astronaut William Anders, famed for his “Earthrise” photo taken during NASA’s Apollo 8 mission, tragically died in a plane crash in Washington.
Anders, a resident of San Juan County, was piloting a vintage Air Force T-34 Mentor aircraft when it crashed off the coast of Jones Island on Friday, June 7.
Body Recovered
The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed that Anders’ body was recovered by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife dive team.
The US Coast Guard first received the report of a plane crash at around 11:40 am and the body was recovered after four long hours of search and rescue mission.
Anders’s Legacy
Anders, 90, had a distinguished career, graduating from the US Naval Academy and serving as an Air Force pilot before joining NASA in 1963.
He was part of the historic Apollo 8 mission on December 21, 1968, where he became one of the first three humans to orbit the moon.
