Earthrise

William Anders died June 7, at 90, when a plane he was piloting crashed. He was the astronaut responsible for probably the most famous photograph of all time: Earthrise.

Followers know my fandom for The Economist. A special treat graces each issue’s last page, an obituary (written — beautifully — by Ann Wroe). Often for someone I never heard of, who was nevertheless remarkable. These obits are a tonic for this humanist’s love of humanity, and human endeavor.

That Earthrise photo, taken in 1968 from a space capsule near the Moon, sparked a somewhat ...