Astronaut William Anderson died in a plane crash

 

Washington: Astronaut William Anderson (90) died in a plane crash in Washington. Astronaut and member of NASA's 1968 Apollo 8 lunar mission crew. His son Gregory Anders shared the news of his death.
The accident happened on San Juan Island in Washington. San Juan County police said the plane crashed off the coast of the island. William's journey was in an old model plane. The body was found after hours of searching by divers.

William Anders was born on October 17, 1933 in Hong Kong. After graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1955, he joined the US Air Force. He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1964. Served as backup pilot on the Gemini 11 mission in 1966. Apollo 8 was the first manned mission to travel beyond the Earth's gravitational field and orbit the Moon. Besides William, Frank Borman and James Lowell were on the probe. He successfully completed the six-day long mission and returned to earth.

William was also one of the first men to see the other side of the moon. William also took a picture of the Earth from the Moon's orbit that day. It is known as 'Earth Rise'. In 1968, the Apollo 8 mission team was awarded Time Magazine's 'Men of the Year' award. William Anders was the Executive Secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council from 1969 to 1973. He was the first chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.