Seattle.  A sad news has come from the world of space. Retired Major General William Anders, former Apollo 8 astronaut, died in an accident. Actually, the plane he was flying fell into the water. He was 90 years old. His son, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Greg Anders, confirmed his death to the Associated Press.

The first colourful photo was taken

Let us tell you that retired Major General William took the first 'Earthrise' photo in 1968 showing the planet as a shadowy blue marble (blue color photo) from space.

William Anders said that this photo was his most important contribution to the space program. This photo is the first color photo of the Earth seen from space, it is one of the most important photos in modern history because it has changed the way humans see the planet. Also, this photo is credited with promoting the global environmental movement, showing how fragile and isolated the Earth looks from space.

there was only one pilot in the plane

"A report came in about 11:40 a.m. that an older-model plane crashed and sank in the water near the north end of Jones Island," San Juan County Sheriff Eric Peter said.

According to the Federal Aviation Association, only one pilot was on board the Beech A45 airplane at the time.

Experiences shared about Apollo 8 mission

William Anders said in a NASA interview in 1997 that he did not think the Apollo 8 mission was easy. But I completed my mission keeping the nation and patriotism in mind. Before the mission began, he had estimated that there was about a one in three percent chance that we might not be completely successful in it. But it all went well. He said that at that time we realized how fragile the Earth looked.