Wally Funk, aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87
The aviation pioneer was the youngest Mercury 13 trainee and later set a record as the oldest woman to fly to space.
- Aviation pioneer Wally Funk died Wednesday at age 87, the city of Grapevine, Texas, announced Thursday. She passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
- In 1961, Funk participated in the Mercury 13 program, undergoing rigorous astronaut testing alongside male candidates. Despite ranking third among the 13 qualifying women, she was barred from NASA flights due to her gender.
- Funk achieved her lifelong dream in 2021, traveling aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard with Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos. At age 82, she became the oldest woman to reach space, earning a Guinness World Record.
- Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O'Dell honored Funk's legacy, stating "Wally Funk's unwavering determination proves that dreams have no expiration date." O'Dell noted her achievements continue inspiring young people to pursue aviation and space careers.
- Her career spanned more than 19,600 flight hours and trained over 3,000 pilots. Funk will be posthumously inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame at the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
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Austin (USA), 10 Jul (EFE).- American aviator Wally Funk, pioneer of the aviation sector and the older woman who has traveled to space, died at 87 years of age in her residence in Texas. Funk died Thursday night at her home, accompanied by her loved ones, according to a statement from the mayor of Grapevine, the city where she resided, which did not specify the cause of death. "Wally Funk demonstrated with her unwavering determination that dream…
Wally Funk, who made history as the oldest woman to travel to space, has passed away at the age of 87.
She successfully passed the demanding tests for female astronauts in the 1960s, but was denied the opportunity because of her gender. In 2021, she flew into space.
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