Who be di 'Earthrise' astronaut wey die for plane crash

Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, wey bin snap one of di most famous photographs for outer space, die for plane crash at di age of 90.

Officials say one small aircraft wey im bin dey fly crash into di sea off Washington state.

Anders son Greg confam say dem don recover im papa deadbody on Friday afternoon.

"Di family dey devastated. Na great pilot im be. We go miss am," statement from di family tok.

Anders - wey be former lunar module pilot for di Apollo 8 mission - snap di iconic Earthrise photograph, one of di most memorable and inspirational images of Earth from space.

Na on Christmas Eve during di 1968 mission, di first flight wit crew to leave Earth and reach di Moon, di picture show di planet as e dey rise above di horizon from di barren lunar surface.

Anders later describe am as im most significant contribution to di space programme.

Di photo get plenti good tins wey pipo dey tok about am, like motivating di global environmental movement wey lead to di creation of Earth Day, one event wey dem dey celebrate evri year to promote activism and awareness of caring for di planet.

Wen im dey tok about di moment, Anders bin tok say: "We come all di way to explore di Moon, and di most important tin wey we discover na di Earth."

How di crash happun

Officials say Anders' plane crash around 11:40PDT (1940BST) and 10:30CAT.

Di US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) say di 90-year-old bin dey fly one Beechcraft A A 45 - wey dem also know as T-34.

Di agency tok say di plane crash about 80ft (25m) from di coast of Jones Island.

Eyewitness Philip Person tell King-TV for Seattle say im see as di plane dey crash.

Di plane start to do like wetin resemble loop and e come turn upside down, im tell di network.

"I no fit believe wetin I dey see in front of my eyes," Person tell di local news station. "E look like sometin wey comeout from feem or special effects. Wit di large explosion and fire and evritin."

One video wey allegedly capture di plane crash try to show di effort to pull up for di last second, before e hit di surface of di water con scata.

BBC News neva verify di video.

Bill Anders Profile

Anders serve as di backup pilot to di Apollo 11 mission, di name of di effort wey lead to di first Moon landing on July 24, 1969.

Afta Anders retire from di space programme for 1969, di former astronaut bin work well well for aerospace industry for many years.

Im also serve as US Ambassador to Norway for one year for di 1970s.

But dem dey remember am well well for di Apollo 8 mission and di ogbonge foto im snap from space.

"For 1968, during Apollo 8, Bill Anders bin give humanity one of di deepest of gifts wey an astronaut fit give.

Im travel to di boundary of di Moon and help all of us see sometin else: ourselves," Nasa Administrator Bill Nelson tok for statement.

For one old interview, im describe taking it afta dem give am "small photography training".

Im say: "We bin dey for di lunar orbit, upside down and going backwards so for di first several revolutions we no see di Earth and den we twist di spacecraft, so e con begin dey go forward and suddenly out of di corner of my eye I see dis colour - e surprise me.

"So I just take a shot, move am take a shot, move am."

Mark Kelly, one former astronaut wey dey serves as US Senator for di state of Arizona, tok for im post on X, formerly Twitter, say Anders "inspire me and generations of astronauts and explorers. My thoughts dey wit im family and friends".