Death of William Anders - Apollo 8 Astronaut

[vandermolen]

Was sad to read of this. Anders died in a plane crash, aged 90. He took the wonderful photo of 'Earthrise' from the Apollo 8 space craft on Christmas Eve 1968. This was the first colour photo of the Earth from the Moon. As Anders said, they went to explore the Moon but actually discovered the Earth. I remember this very well (I was 13 at the time) and, in some ways, this mission had more impact on me than the Apollo 11 mission which landed on the Moon. I thought that the whole crew (Borman, Lovell, Anders) were still alive but noticed today that Frank Borman passed away last year:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_8

[Iota]

As Anders said, they went to explore the Moon but actually discovered the Earth.

Such a great quote. RIP

[vandermolen]

Such a great quote. RIP

Absolutely! And the Christmas reading from Genesis was also very moving.

[relm1]

So sad to hear this earlier this morning.  I wrote a piece based on that Earthrise photo, it had such a special place to me.  I saw Jim Lovell at an interview/lecture not long ago and sharp as a whip.

[vandermolen]

So sad to hear this earlier this morning.  I wrote a piece based on that Earthrise photo, it had such a special place to me.  I saw Jim Lovell at an interview/lecture not long ago and sharp as a whip.

That reminded of the entrance exam for my secondary school, which must have been just after the Apollo 8 mission, and which involved me writing an essay about the famous Earthrise photograph.

[LKB]

Earthrise is justifiably famous,  as was the entire Apollo 8 mission. I watched the reading of Genesis live with my parents, on a small B&W TV in our den.

However, the image itself is not usually presented in its original form. When Anders captured the Earth emerging from behind the Moon, the perspective was from lunar orbit, roughly in the plane of the ecliptic. So the Earth was  actually coming into view from right to left, not " rising " as such.

I forget who it was that originally rotated the image to place the earth above the Moon, but it does give the image more impact, and presents a better aesthetic. In any case, it's no great feat in microgravity to turn yourself 90° and gain a new perspective.

RIP General Anders.

[relm1]

That reminded of the entrance exam for my secondary school, which must have been just after the Apollo 8 mission, and which involved me writing an essay about the famous Earthrise photograph.

Oh wow, I'd love to read that if you can find it or recall what you said.  Curious how major events are received when first encountered.  It better not be something like "50 years from now, we'll still be talking about this image on something called the internet on a classical music forum".

[steve ridgway]

Still it was good to read that Anders was actually flying a small plane himself at 90 years old .

[vandermolen]

Oh wow, I'd love to read that if you can find it or recall what you said.  Curious how major events are received when first encountered.  It better not be something like "50 years from now, we'll still be talking about this image on something called the internet on a classical music forum".

Haha - I was only 13. I had no real interest in classical music at the time but I do recall rambling on comparing the 'stormy' features seen on the Earthrise image to a Beethoven symphony. My older bother was/is a great classical music fan. My comment must have sounded very pretentious but at least they offered me a place at the school (having failed to get into several of London's top public (private) schools) . Funny how I remember that!

[LKB]

Still it was good to read that Anders was actually flying a small plane himself at 90 years old .

It does speak well for him, as flying a light plane takes more physical effort than some might think. ( I flew with my father in Cessnas a great many times between 1968 and 2012. He'd handle takeoffs and landings to keep everything legal, and I'd usually do everything else. It was a blast!    )

Crosswind landings, evasive maneuvers ( which are rare but when you need to avoid traffic, you really need to and the physical exertion can be significant ), and just pushing the aircraft around on the tarmac all takes a certain amount of arm strength. You don't need to be Schwarzenegger, just normally fit, but doing so at 90 could be a real challenge for many.

[steve ridgway]

Haha - I was only 13. I had no real interest in classical music at the time but I do recall rambling on comparing the 'stormy' features seen on the Earthrise image to a Beethoven symphony. My older bother was/is a great classical music fan. My comment must have sounded very pretentious but at least they offered me a place at the school (having failed to get into several of London's top public (private) schools) . Funny how I remember that!

I remember watching Apollo 11 live when I was 7 and being very excited by it. My parents thoughtfully rented a holiday cottage with a TV as we didn't have one at home. So I was most likely aware of Apollo 8 but couldn't identify any genuine recollections at this point.

[vandermolen]

I remember watching Apollo 11 live when I was 7 and being very excited by it. My parents thoughtfully rented a holiday cottage with a TV as we didn't have one at home. So I was most likely aware of Apollo 8 but couldn't identify any genuine recollections at this point.

We were also on holiday during the Apollo 11 mission. I made my dad ensure that we were staying somewhere with a TV set. I remember that the small hotel (in Devon I think) had a TV Room which consisted of a small cinema with a black and white TV in it. Most of my family went to bed but I seem to remember staying up almost all night such was my excitement. I remember going outside to look at the Moon and thinking how weird it was that there were people walking around up there.

There was an obituary of Bill Anders in the Times today. I was delighted to read that Anders was apparently so relaxed about the Apollo 8 mission that he fell asleep during the countdown.

[steve ridgway]

We were also on holiday during the Apollo 11 mission. I made my dad ensure that we were staying somewhere with a TV set. I remember that the small hotel (in Devon I think) had a TV Room which consisted of a small cinema with a black and white TV in it. Most of my family went to bed but I seem to remember staying up almost all night such was my excitement. I remember going outside to look at the Moon and thinking how weird it was that there were people walking around up there.

There was an obituary of Bill Anders in the Times today. I was delighted to read that Anders was apparently so relaxed about the Apollo 8 mission that he fell asleep during the countdown.

Yes, NASA realised that a lot of the world only had access to black and white TV and so chose the Moon as the ideal destination .

[krummholz]

Yes, NASA realised that a lot of the world only had access to black and white TV and so chose the Moon as the ideal destination .

<snicker>

[krummholz]

It does speak well for him, as flying a light plane takes more physical effort than some might think. ( I flew with my father in Cessnas a great many times between 1968 and 2012. He'd handle takeoffs and landings to keep everything legal, and I'd usually do everything else. It was a blast!    )

Crosswind landings, evasive maneuvers ( which are rare but when you need to avoid traffic, you really need to and the physical exertion can be significant ), and just pushing the aircraft around on the tarmac all takes a certain amount of arm strength. You don't need to be Schwarzenegger, just normally fit, but doing so at 90 could be a real challenge for many.

All true! (I own and fly a small Cessna.)

But I cannot (and never could) maneuver my plane uphill with a towbar. Depending on where he was based, he might have never had to do that. Everything else, I can do (as a fairly fit woman in her late 60s, though without much arm strength - just for clarity).

The big question is going to be, why did he go down? Engine failure? Spatial disorientation? Medical event?

[vandermolen]

So sad to hear this earlier this morning.  I wrote a piece based on that Earthrise photo, it had such a special place to me.  I saw Jim Lovell at an interview/lecture not long ago and sharp as a whip.

I'd be interested to see your writing about the 'Earthrise' photo if you still have it.

[LKB]

All true! (I own and fly a small Cessna.)

But I cannot (and never could) maneuver my plane uphill with a towbar. Depending on where he was based, he might have never had to do that. Everything else, I can do (as a fairly fit woman in her late 60s, though without much arm strength - just for clarity).

The big question is going to be, why did he go down? Engine failure? Spatial disorientation? Medical event?

Flying is a spiritual endeavor, with Earthly nuts and bolts and procedures. May your skies ( and airplane ) remain stress-free. 

As for General Anders, he experienced difficulty off the coast of Jones Island in Washington State. Witnesses report the Beechcraft T-34 apparently out of control at low altitude, trying to recover but then hitting the water, breaking up and sinking.

Hopefully, he never knew what hit him.

[steve ridgway]

Earthrise is justifiably famous,  as was the entire Apollo 8 mission. I watched the reading of Genesis live with my parents, on a small B&W TV in our den.

However, the image itself is not usually presented in its original form. When Anders captured the Earth emerging from behind the Moon, the perspective was from lunar orbit, roughly in the plane of the ecliptic. So the Earth was  actually coming into view from right to left, not " rising " as such.

I forget who it was that originally rotated the image to place the earth above the Moon, but it does give the image more impact, and presents a better aesthetic. In any case, it's no great feat in microgravity to turn yourself 90° and gain a new perspective.

RIP General Anders.

Someone had perhaps remembered the photo taken two years earlier by Lunar Orbiter I .

[LKB]

Someone had perhaps remembered the photo taken two years earlier by Lunar Orbiter I .

That may be the case, indeed.

[krummholz]

Flying is a spiritual endeavor, with Earthly nuts and bolts and procedures. May your skies ( and airplane ) remain stress-free. 

Thank you!

As for General Anders, he experienced difficulty off the coast of Jones Island in Washington State. Witnesses report the Beechcraft T-34 apparently out of control at low altitude, trying to recover but then hitting the water, breaking up and sinking.

Hopefully, he never knew what hit him.

Thank you for those details, but that still doesn't give a clear picture. Was he maneuvering to land? Was he in the traffic pattern of an airport (not sure exactly where this occurred). Why was he at low altitude over the water?

Low altitude loss-of-control accidents are usually the result of a stall/spin. They usually happen in the traffic pattern.

I'm sure the NTSB is investigating and we'll likely know more when they release their report.