Wally Funk, aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87
Summary
Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer and the oldest woman to travel into space at age 82, has died at 87 in Grapevine, Texas. She was part of an early group of female pilots who trained like NASA astronauts in the 1960s but were not allowed to go to space until her flight on Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket in 2021.Key Facts
- Wally Funk died at age 87 in an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas.
- She was the oldest woman to go into space, flying on Blue Origin’s rocket in 2021 at age 82.
- Funk was part of the Mercury 13 program, a group of women who underwent astronaut tests in the 1960s but did not become astronauts then.
- Jeff Bezos invited her as an honored guest on his 2021 spaceflight.
- Funk was the first female Federal Aviation Administration inspector and the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board.
- She had fallen several times and had a leg infection before she died.
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised her passion and perseverance after her death.
- Wally Funk was known for being optimistic despite facing many rejections in her career.
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