William Anders

William Anders, born on October 17, 1933, was a distinguished United States Air Force major general, electrical and nuclear engineer, and NASA astronaut. He made history in December 1968 as a crew member of Apollo 8, the first mission to leave low Earth orbit and orbit the Moon. Alongside fellow astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, Anders circled the Moon ten times, sharing live images and commentary with Earth, including a memorable Christmas Eve reading from Genesis. During this mission, he captured the iconic Earthrise photograph, a moment that resonated deeply with humanity.

A graduate of the United States Naval Academy in 1955, Anders was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the USAF the same year. He became a fighter pilot, flying Northrop F-89 Scorpions armed with nuclear-tipped air-to-air rockets. His academic pursuits led him to earn a Master of Science degree in nuclear engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1962, after which he managed the technical aspects of the USAF's nuclear reactor programs at the Air Force Weapons Laboratory.

Anders held several significant positions in the U.S. government, serving as the executive secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council from 1969 to 1973, and as a commissioner of the United States Atomic Energy Commission from 1973 to 1975. He was the chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1975 to 1976 and later served as the United States Ambassador to Norway from 1976 to 1977. His career in the private sector included roles at General Electric, where he was vice president and general manager of the Nuclear Products Division, and later at Textron as executive vice president for aerospace.

Anders continued to serve in the USAF reserves, retiring as a major general in 1988. He became vice chairman of General Dynamics in 1990, and was appointed chairman and CEO in 1991, retiring from these roles in the early 1990s. Tragically, Anders passed away in June 2024 in a crash of his Beechcraft T-34 Mentor near the San Juan Islands, leaving behind a legacy of remarkable achievements in aviation, engineering, and public service.