William Anders

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William Alison Anders
William Anders.jpg
Born (1933-10-17) October 17, 1933 (age 86)
NationalityUnited States
Space career
NASA Astronaut
RankMajor General, USAF
Time in space
6d 03h 00m
Selection1963 NASA Group
MissionsApollo 8
Mission insignia

William Alison Anders (born October 17, 1933 in Hong Kong) is a former United States Air Force officer, NASA astronaut, businessman, and engineer. He is was a member of the Apollo 8 space mission. Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell were some of the astronauts the to leave the orbit of the Earth and go to the Moon.

The crew took the first pictures taken of the earth from the Moon.[1][2]

The Anders crater on the Moon is named in his honor.

He has a wife named Valerie E. Hoard. He has six children, Alan, Glen, Gregory, Eric, Gayle and Daina.[3]

He was a fighter pilot and an air defence commander. He received a bachelor of science degree and a master of science degree in Nuclear Engineering. He graduated from Naval Academy. In 1964, NASA selected him as an astronaut with important responsibilities.[4]

References[change | change source]

  1. Remarks by the President at the National Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting (2009)
  2. International Space Hall of Fame - New Mexico Museum of Space History
  3. http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/anders-wa.html
  4. http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/anders-wa.html