Wally Funk, a pioneering aviator who was denied the chance to become a NASA astronaut in the 1960s and later made history as the oldest woman to travel to space aboard Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket, has died at the age of 87. Funk passed away peacefully on Wednesday evening at her apartment in an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas, according to city councilwoman and close friend Duff O'Dell, who was by her side. O'Dell, who described herself as Funk's caregiver, said Funk had fallen a couple of times recently and suffered an infection in her leg. "It took its toll," O'Dell told the Associated Press.
Early Life and Aviation Career
Born on 1 February 1939, Funk dedicated more than seven decades to aviation. She earned her pilot's license at Stephens College in Missouri and later studied education at Oklahoma State University, primarily because the university had an aviation team known as the Flying Aggies. "As a Flying Aggie, I could do all the manoeuvres as well as the boys, if not better," she told the Guardian in 2019. After college, she became the only female flight instructor at a US military base.
The Mercury 13 Program
In 1961, Funk volunteered for NASA's Women in Space program, a privately funded effort to test whether America's best female pilots could become astronauts. The 13 women, known as the Mercury 13, underwent the same rigorous physical and psychological tests as NASA's all-male astronaut corps. Funk was the youngest graduate of the program and was told she had outperformed the men in many tests. She spent 10 hours and 35 minutes in a sensory deprivation tank, outperforming astronaut John Glenn. However, the program was cancelled after doubts were raised about women's participation. Glenn himself said including women "may be undesirable." Instead, NASA selected the Mercury Seven men as its first astronauts.
Persistent Pursuit of Spaceflight
Funk made several attempts to join NASA's astronaut corps but was told she lacked an engineering degree. NASA did not admit female astronauts until 1978, when Funk was 39. "I got a hold of NASA four times, and said 'I want to become an astronaut', but nobody would take me," Funk said, according to CNN. Undeterred, she continued flying, owning a flying school in Taos, New Mexico, and serving as the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and later for the National Transportation Safety Board. She logged over 19,600 flying hours and taught more than 3,000 people to fly. "Aviation has been my whole life," she wrote in her 2020 memoir. "I eat it, and I breathe it." In a 2019 interview, when asked if she would ever stop flying, she yelled: "No! I'll be flying till I die."
Historic Blue Origin Flight
In July 2021, at age 82, Funk finally reached space aboard Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket as an "honored guest" alongside Bezos and two others. The 11-minute flight made her the oldest person in space at the time, though the record was later broken by William Shatner and Ed Dwight, both 90. Funk remains the oldest woman to have flown to space. After the flight, she said: "I've been waiting a long time to finally get it up there... I want to go again, fast. I loved every minute of it. I just wish it had been longer."
Tributes and Legacy
Grapevine city councilwoman Duff O'Dell said: "Wally Funk's unwavering determination proves that dreams have no expiration date. Her courage, resilience, and groundbreaking achievements continue to inspire young people – especially girls – to pursue careers in science, aviation, and space exploration." NASA administrator Jared Isaacman posted on X: "Wally Funk never stopped believing that one day she would reach space. Her passion for flight, perseverance, and love of exploration will continue to inspire generations of Americans. Godspeed, Wally." Blue Origin also paid tribute, calling her "a pioneer in every sense of the word" and noting she was the only Mercury 13 member to reach space. The city of Grapevine recognized her as a "global symbol of determination, perseverance, and excellence."
