William (Bill) Anders, born October 17, 1933, was a United States Air Force fighter pilot then later was chosen to become an astronaut in 1963. After he was more experienced he was then assigned to be a model pilot on Apollo 8, which didn't launch until December 21, 1968 and became the first space craft to leave earth's orbit. After 26 years of service William Anders decided to leave the federal government. He decided to retire space missions and got a job at the General Electric Company in San Jose, California around 1977. He finally retired his job at the General Electric Company in 1993 although he remained Chairman of the Board until 1994. I find it interesting how William (Bill) Anders was born in Hong Kong, China and I am a quarter Chinese.
