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5h ago

Wally Funk Dies at 87, Trailblazing Aviator and Mercury 13 Member

Her long career broke aviation gender barriers and culminated in a 2021 Blue Origin flight that reshaped public memory of who belongs in space.

Blue Origin’s New Shepard crew member Wally Funk speaks during a press conference after flying into space in the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket on July 20, 2021 in Van Horn, Texas. Funk and the rest of the crew were the first human spaceflight for the company.
Wally Funk exits the crew capsule after Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket completed its first human spaceflight on July 20, 2021.
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Overview

  • The City of Grapevine announced on July 9 that Wally Funk died peacefully at 87 in her home and that her caregiver said recent falls and a leg infection had taken their toll.
  • In 1961 Funk joined the privately run Mercury 13 tests that used the same physical and psychological exams as NASA’s early astronauts and she ranked among the top performers.
  • Funk broke institutional barriers as the first female civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, the first female FAA flight inspector, and the first female NTSB air safety investigator.
  • Sixty years after her Mercury 13 training, Funk flew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard in July 2021 at age 82, becoming the oldest woman to reach space and the only Mercury 13 member to do so.
  • Tributes from Blue Origin, local officials and the aviation community noted her many honors and hall-of-fame inductions and said her story will continue to inspire future pilots and women in aerospace.