William Anders | |
|---|---|
 Anders in 1964 | |
| Born | William Alison Anders 17 October 1933 |
| Died | 7 June 2024 (aged 90) San Juan County, Washington, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Spouse |
Valerie E. Hoard (m. 1955) |
| Children | 6 |
| Awards | |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Major General, USAFR |
Time in space | 6d 3h |
| Selection | NASA Group 3 (1963) |
| Missions | Apollo 8 |
Mission insignia |  |
| Retirement | 1 September 1969 |
| United States Ambassador to Norway | |
| In office 11 May 1976 – 18 June 1977 | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Byrne |
| Succeeded by | Louis A. Lerner |
William Alison Anders (17 October 1933 – 7 June 2024) was an American United States Air Force (USAF) major general, electrical engineer, nuclear engineer, NASA astronaut, and businessman. In December 1968, he was a member of the crew of Apollo 8, the first three people to leave low Earth orbit and travel to the Moon. Along with fellow astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, he circled the Moon ten times, and broadcast live images and commentary back to Earth, including the Christmas Eve Genesis reading. During one of the mission's lunar orbits, he took the iconic Earthrise photograph.
A 1955 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Anders was commissioned a second lieutenant in the USAF the same year and became a fighter pilot flying Northrop F-89 Scorpions equipped with MB-1 nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles. He hoped to study aeronautical engineering through the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) of Air University, but the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion program was ongoing, and he had to study nuclear engineering instead. He graduated from the AFIT in 1962 with a Master of Science degree in nuclear engineering and was sent to the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, where he managed the technical aspects of the USAF nuclear power reactor programs.
Anders was the executive secretary of the National Aeronautics and Space Council from 1969 to 1973, a commissioner of the United States Atomic Energy Commission from 1973 to 1975, and chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1975 to 1976. He then became the United States Ambassador to Norway from 1976 to 1977. In September 1977, he joined General Electric (GE) as the vice president and general manager of its Nuclear Products Division and became the general manager of the GE Aircraft Equipment Division in 1980. He left GE to join Textron as executive vice president for aerospace, and two years later became senior executive vice president for operations. During his time in the Civil Service, he remained a USAF reserve officer and retained his active flight status. He retired from the reserve as a major general in 1988. In 1990, he became vice chairman of General Dynamics, and in 1991 its chairman and CEO. He retired as CEO in 1993 and as chairman in 1994.
Anders died in a crash of his Beechcraft T-34 Mentor in June 2024 near the San Juan Islands.