||| FROM NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM |||
America lost one of its true heroes recently—a man who also happened to have taken one of the most famous photos of all time.
Maj. Gen. William A. Anders was an Air Force pilot and a U.S. Ambassador to Norway. He served his country in various other roles, including as the first chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and founded a museum that celebrates aviation history. But he’s best known as one of three astronauts who flew on the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, during which he captured one of the most iconic and influential photographs in history. Earthrise is said to have even inspired the environmental movement. As an astronaut, Bill also inspired a generation of young Americans to pursue careers in the military, engineering, math, and science—including myself.
He was one of my heroes growing up, and I’m lucky to have known him personally. I got to know Bill and his wife Valerie through the support they’ve given to the Smithsonian over the years. Maybe it was our love of science, growing up as military brats, or having shared the same busted front tooth as a kid that had to be covered by an embarrassing silver crown, but something caused Bill and I to hit it off immediately. My friendship with him left me with many stories. To let you know the kind of person he was, here are a few of my favorites.
Valerie and Bill Anders at the 2023 Michael Collins Trophy event, at which Anders received the Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime Achievement.
As Bill told it, this first story begins when the Apollo 8 spacecraft went into orbit around the Moon. Frank Borman, the commander, and Jim Lovell, the command module pilot, positioned themselves on one side of the spacecraft. Together, they would be the first people to complete one full orbit around another planetary body. Meanwhile, Bill, the lunar module pilot on the flight, watched from the other side of the spacecraft. The crew patiently followed their instruments as they ticked off their position around the Moon.
Finally, Frank exclaimed, “We did it! We’re the first people to circumnavigate the Moon!”
While he and Jim began to celebrate, Bill said drily, “Check your yaw.”
Frank looked at him curiously and floated over to the instrument panel to read the position of the spacecraft. There he saw where Bill had secretly changed the orientation of Apollo 8 so that Bill alone was the first person to circumnavigate the Moon—if only by a few microseconds.
Frank looked at him and sighed, “You son of a —–.”
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