Apollo 8 Astronaut William Anders Who Took ‘Earthrise’ Photo Dies Aged 90

Maj. Gen. Anders was part of the first manned mission to the moon in 1968.

Photo made available by NASA shows the Earth behind the surface of the moon during the Apollo 8 mission, on Dec. 24, 1968. William Anders/NASA/AP

Maj. Gen. William A. Anders, USAF (Ret.), an astronaut who was part of the first Apollo 8 manned mission to the moon, died on Friday at the age of 90 while piloting an aircraft that crashed off the Washington coast.

His son confirmed the news, sharing with NPR that his father was flying solo in a Beech A45 plane when it descended into the waters near Jones Island, Washington.