American astronaut and lunar explorer (1933–2024)
One photograph from lunar orbit—Earth rising over the Moon's barren horizon—changed how the species saw home. William Anders, aboard Apollo 8 in December 1968, turned the camera and caught it.
Anders graduated from the Naval Academy in 1955, took an Air Force commission, and flew nuclear-armed interceptors before earning a nuclear engineering degree in 1962. He joined NASA and in December 1968 flew with Frank Borman and Jim Lovell on Apollo 8, the first crew to leave low Earth orbit, circle the Moon ten times, and broadcast live on Christmas Eve. After the mission he served in senior nuclear and aerospace roles: executive secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council, commissioner of the Atomic Energy Commission, chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, ambassador to…
Sourced, dated quotes from William Anders
From there, the blue-and-white glory of Earth, the only color amidst the blackness of space, became a beacon.
We set out to explore the moon and instead discovered the Earth.
But, the most impressive aspect of the flight was [when] we were in lunar orbit.
I’m not that famous, and I’m certainly not glib, so maybe I’d really ought to [get real] work for a living.’...
But sooner or later people will be able to buy a ride into space.
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