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William A. Anders (b. October 17, 1933) former
NASA Astronaut .

He received a bachelor of science degree from the
United States Naval Academy in 1955 and a master
of science degree in nuclear engineering from the
Air Force Institute of Technology at
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in 1962.
Anders completed the Harvard Business School
Advanced Management Program in 1979.

After graduating from United States Naval
Academy|Annapolis, Anders took his commission in
the U.S. Air Force and served as a fighter pilot
in all-weather interceptor squadrons of the Air
Defense Command. He was later was responsible for
technical management of nuclear power reactor
shielding and radiation effects programs while at
the Air Force Weapons Laboratory in New Mexico.

In 1964, Anders was selected by National
Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA, in the
third group of astronauts.  He became in involved
in the NASA work in the areas of dosimetry,
radiation effects, and environmental controls. He
was the backup pilot for the Gemini XI mission;
the lunar module pilot for the Apollo 8 mission,
the first lunar orbit mission, in December 1968;
and the backup command module pilot for the Apollo
11 mission.  He has logged more than 6,000 hours
of flight time.

From June 1969 to 1973, he served as executive
secretary for the National Aeronautics and Space
Council, which was responsible to the president,
vice president and Cabinet-level members of the
Council for developing policy options concerning
research, development, operations and planning of
aeronautical and space systems.

On Aug. 6, 1973, Anders was appointed to the
five-member Atomic Energy Commission, where he was
lead commissioner for nuclear and non-nuclear
power R&D. He was also named as US chairman of the
joint US/USSR technology exchange program for
nuclear fission|fission and nuclear fusion|fusion
power.

Following the reorganization of national nuclear
regulatory and developmental activities on Jan.
19, 1975, Anders was named by President Gerald R.
Ford|Ford to become the first chairman of the
newly established Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
which is responsible for nuclear safety and
environmental compatibility. At the completion of
his term as NRC Chairman, Anders was appointed
ambassador to Norway and held that position until
1977, when he left the federal government after 26
years.

Anders briefly served as a fellow of the American
Enterprise Institute, then joined General Electric
in September 1977. As vice president and general
manager of GE's Nuclear Products Division in San
Jose, California|San Jose, Calif., he was
responsible for the manufacture of nuclear fuel,
reactor internal equipment, and control and
instrumentation for GE nuclear
reactor|boiling-water reactors at facilities
located in San Jose and Wilmington, North
Carolina|Wilmington, N.C.. He also oversaw GE's
partnership with Chicago Bridge and Iron for
making large steel pressure vessels in Memphis,
Tennessee|Memphis. In August 1979, Anders was sent
to attend Harvard Business School's Advanced
Management Program. On the first day of 1980,
Anders was appointed general manager of the
General Electric Aircraft Equipment Division.
Headquartered in Utica, New York|Utica, N.Y., the
division included more than 8,500 employees in
five locations in the northeastern U.S. Its
products included aircraft flight and weapon
control systems, cockpit instruments, aircraft
electrical generating systems, airborne radars and
data processing systems, electronic
countermeasures, space command systems, and
aircraft/surface multi-barrel armament systems.

In 1984, he left GE to join Textron as executive
vice president for aerospace, and two years later
became senior executive vice president for
operations. 

In 1990, Anders became vice chairman of General
Dynamics, and on Jan. 1, 1991, its chairman and
CEO. He retired in 1993 but remained chairman
until May 1994.

He was also a consultant to the U.S. Office of
Science and Technology Policy and was a member of
the Defense Science Board and the NASA Advisory
Council. He is a retired major general in the USAF
Reserve.

He has four sons and two daughters.