Former astronaut William Anders, who took iconic Earthrise photo, killed in Washington plane crash

[Godfrey]

...Did I read somewhere that on the missions that landed on the moon they left their Hassleblad bodies behind in order to save weight? Or is this an urban myth?

Yes indeed: the Moon rocks they returned with were/are *far far* more valuable scientifically than the Hasselblad cameras. That said, and although there's no such thing as a trivial "side trip" in space missions, it would be scientifically (and maybe historically) interesting to retrieve the cameras now and analyze what a few decades of exposure to the harsh environmental conditions of the Moon have done to them.

Another ex-NASA friend of mine has collected the signatures of every Apollo mission astronaut in the program. He told me the hardest one to get was that of Virgil "Gus" Grissom ... Not because they're not available, but because his signature commands one of the highest prices. My friend retired just recently (he worked for decades at the Dryden facility, still has a presence at one of the satellite research organizations) ... I've got to get down to SoCal to visit him soon!

G