Home Science William Anders, the Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic photo of Earth in 1968, died in a plane crash.

William Anders, the Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic photo of Earth in 1968, died in a plane crash.

by Issac Davis

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“When the Earth appeared above the lunar horizon, that’s when I was really struck by how much more delicate and colorful the Earth had become,” Andres said in a 2018 interview with the Today Show to mark the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking mission.

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After 25 hours of flight time, Andres began taking photos. The former astronaut also said in that interview that he believes he has a one-in-three chance of not surviving the Apollo 8 mission, NBC further noted.

Andres, who was born in Hong Kong on Oct. 17, 1933, was also the backup pilot for Gemini XI and the Apollo 11 mission that landed the first humans on the moon on July 20, 1969.

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