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Mercury 13 icon Wally Funk, who waited 60 years to reach space with Jeff Bezos, dies at 87
Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and Mercury 13 member, dies at 87. Here's how she broke barriers for women in aviation and finally reached space in 2021.
Wally Funk was one of the world's most accomplished female pilots and a pioneer who broke barriers for women in aviation and space exploration. She died peacefully at her home in Grapevine, Texas, on Wednesday. She was 87 years old. Her death was confirmed by Mona Quintanilla, a spokeswoman for the city of Grapevine. The city of Grapevine said she passed away surrounded by her loved ones. Wally Funk became famous for chasing her dream of going to space for more than 60 years.
In July 2021, at the age of 82, she finally flew to space on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. At the time, she became the oldest woman ever to travel to space and set a Guinness World Record. She was also the only member of the Mercury 13 program to ever reach space. Wally Funk spent more than 70 years working in aviation, building a career as a pilot, instructor and safety expert. In her 2020 memoir, she wrote, "Aviation has been my whole life. I eat it, and I breathe it", according to The New York Times.
Mercury 13 and the dream of space
In the early 1960s, Funk was selected as one of 25 women being tested for possible space missions. The group was later reduced to 13 women, known as the Mercury 13. The Mercury 13 women went through tough physical and psychological tests to see how women could perform in space. Funk was the only trained pilot in the Mercury 13 group to pass all the tests.
She even scored better than many male astronauts in several tests. Even though she was fully qualified, NASA did not allow women to become astronauts at that time. Instead, NASA selected the all-male Mercury Seven astronauts for America's first space missions.
Funk applied several times to join NASA's astronaut program but was never accepted, according to The New York Times. NASA did not admit women into its astronaut corps until 1978, when Funk was 39 years old.
Her aviation career
Even after missing the chance to join NASA, Funk continued building a remarkable aviation career. She became the first female flight instructor at Fort Sill Army base in Oklahoma. She later became the first female inspector at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). She also became the first female air safety investigator at the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
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During her career, she trained more than 3,000 pilots, according to CBS News. Funk also owned a flying school in Taos, New Mexico. She flew twin-engine passenger aircraft for Sierra Pacific Airlines. Her memoir said she logged more than 19,000 hours of flying, while the city of Grapevine later said she completed more than 30,000 flight hours during her career.
Her historic Blue Origin flight
Funk's lifelong dream came true in July 2021 when she joined Blue Origin's New Shepard NS-16 mission. She flew with Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, and another crew member. After landing, Funk said she saw the darkness of space and loved every moment of the trip. She also said she wished the flight had lasted longer.
Early life
Wally Funk was born Mary Wallace Funk on February 1, 1939, in Las Vegas, but she preferred to be called Wally. She grew up in Taos, New Mexico, where her father owned a small five-and-dime store. She said her love for flying started when she jumped off her father's barn wearing a Superman cape at around five years old.
Education and pilot training
Funk earned her pilot's license while studying at Stephens College in Missouri. She later attended Oklahoma State University, which had a well-known flight school. By the age of 19, she had earned ratings to fly both gliders and seaplanes. She later said that when she started flying as a teenager, people did not question her because she was a girl.
Awards and honours
Funk was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 1995. Her name was added to the Wall of Honor at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington in 2017. In 2024, she was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, according to CBS News.
She was also inducted into the Mercury Hall of Fame. She will also receive a posthumous induction into the International Space Hall of Fame at the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
Stephens College honoured Funk with its Alumna Achievement Award. She also received several aviation awards during her career, including Oklahoma State University's Outstanding Female Pilot Trophy.
Her legacy
Planetary scientist Tanya Harrison said Funk proved she was just as capable, or even more capable, than many of the men competing for early space missions. Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O'Dell said Funk's determination showed that dreams have no age limit and that her life continues to inspire young people, especially girls, to pursue careers in science, aviation and space.
Wally Funk never married, her life is remembered as the story of a woman who broke barriers, refused to give up on her dream, and finally reached space after waiting more than six decades.
