Wally Funk, Aviation Pioneer and Oldest Woman to Travel to Space, Dies at 87

• Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and the oldest woman to travel to space, has died at age 87.
• She achieved her lifelong dream in 2021 as a crew member on the inaugural crewed flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket.
• In the 1960s, she was part of the "Mercury 13" program, where she outperformed many male candidates in astronaut training but was denied the opportunity to fly due to gender bias.
• Funk spent over seven decades breaking barriers for women in aviation and aerospace.

A Career of Firsts

• Earned her pilot's license at Stephens College and was a member of the "Flying Aggies" aviation team at Oklahoma State University.
• During astronaut training, she spent 10 hours and 35 minutes in a sensory-deprivation tank, surpassing the record set by John Glenn.
• Held several historic titles, including the first female civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, the first female inspector for the FAA, and the first female air safety investigator for the NTSB.
• Logged over 19,600 hours of flight time and mentored more than 3,000 pilots.

Historic Space Flight and Legacy

• Invited by Jeff Bezos to join the NS-16 mission in June 2021 at age 82, becoming the oldest person in space at the time.
• While William Shatner and Ed Dwight later broke her age record at 90, she remains the oldest woman to have traveled to space.
• The flight lasted 10 minutes and 10 seconds, reaching a peak altitude of 107 km (66.5 miles).
• Funk passed away on June 8th at an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas, following recent falls and a leg infection.
• She is remembered by NASA and Blue Origin for her unwavering optimism, resilience, and contribution to opening space exploration to future generations.