Wally Funk, the pioneering aviator who was denied the chance to become a NASA astronaut in the 1960s but later made history as the oldest woman to travel to space aboard Blue Origin's rocket in 2021, has died at the age of 87.
Funk died 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. Funk had experienced a couple of falls recently and had a leg infection. "It took its toll," O'Dell told the Associated Press.
Early Life and Aviation Career
Born on 1 February 1939, Funk earned her pilot's license at Stephens College in Missouri and studied education at Oklahoma State University, drawn by its aviation team, 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. She later became the only female flight instructor at a US military base.
Funk amassed over 19,600 flying hours and taught more than 3,000 people to fly private and commercial aircraft. She owned a flying school in Taos, New Mexico, and served as the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and later for the National Transportation Safety Board. "Aviation has been my whole life," she wrote in her 2020 memoir. "I eat it, and I breathe it."
The Mercury 13 and NASA Rejection
In 1961, Funk volunteered for NASA's Women in Space program, a privately funded effort to test whether top female pilots could become astronauts. She became the youngest of the 13 women, known as the Mercury 13, and outperformed many male candidates in rigorous physical and psychological tests, including spending 10 hours and 35 minutes in a sensory deprivation tank—surpassing astronaut John Glenn. However, the program was canceled after doubts about women's participation, and Glenn said including women "may be undesirable."
Funk made four subsequent 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," she told CNN. "Nothing has ever gotten in my way. They say, 'Wally, you're a girl, you can't do that.' I said, 'Guess what? It doesn't matter what you are. You can still do it if you want to do it.'"
Historic Blue Origin Flight
On 20 July 2021, at age 82, Funk finally reached space aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket as an "honored guest" on an 11-minute flight. She became the oldest person to launch into space at that time, a record later broken by actor William Shatner and Ed Dwight, both 90. She remains the oldest woman to have traveled to space. "I've been waiting a long time to finally get it up there," she said after the flight. "I want to go again, fast. I loved every minute of it. I just wish it had been longer."
Legacy and Tributes
"Wally Funk's unwavering determination proves that dreams have no expiration date," said O'Dell in a statement. "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." 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 praised her as a "beloved resident whose extraordinary accomplishments and generous spirit left an enduring legacy."
