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Wally Funk: 82-Year-Old Becomes Oldest Woman in Space
10 Jul
Summary
- Wally Funk, 87, pioneer aviator and Mercury 13 member, has died.
- She became the oldest woman in space at 82 aboard Blue Origin.
- Funk broke barriers as first female FAA flight inspector.
Wally Funk, a pioneering aviator and a member of the Mercury 13 program, has died at the age of 87. She passed away at her home in Grapevine, Texas. Funk's life was dedicated to aviation, earning her pilot's license at 17 and forging a path of many firsts.
She was the first female flight inspector for the FAA and the first female investigator for the NTSB. Funk was also part of the 1961 Mercury 13 initiative, which aimed to train women for spaceflight. Despite excelling in tests, she and the other women were denied astronaut roles.
Funk's dream of space was realized in July 2021 when she flew with Blue Origin, becoming the oldest woman to travel to space at 82. This 11-minute suborbital flight fulfilled a lifelong ambition for the determined aviator, sixty years after her initial astronaut training.
