![]() She was the first female FAA inspector and first female NTSB air safety investigator. The 82-year-old pilot will now be part of the first crew on New Shepard, and the oldest person ever to fly to space. Wally was the youngest graduate of this program. Later known as the “Mercury 13” – thirteen American women successfully underwent the same physiological and psychological screening tests as the astronauts selected by NASA for Project Mercury, but they never flew to space. Wally’s journey to space began in the 1960s when she was the youngest graduate of the Woman in Space Program, a privately-funded project which tested female pilots for astronaut fitness. She will join Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, and the auction winner on the flight. You are NOT too old, and you should NEVER give up.Fulfilling a lifelong mission to become an astronaut, Wally Funk will fly to space on New Shepard’s first human flight on July 20 as an honored guest. Yes, as we age, we have to accept physical limitations, but don’t give up – modify! Let Wally Funk be your inspiration today. So, are you sitting in your home today reflecting on the business you never started, the novel you never wrote, the painting you never painted, the language you never learned, the trip you never took, the weight you never lost, the love you never found? Too old, you say? Wally Funk is 82 years old. Her joy and enthusiasm are through the roof! A lifelong dream fulfilled. So how did Wally finally get there? She purchased a ticket with Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactica flight for $200,000 but it was Jeff Bezos who finally got her there. She applied to NASA four times over the years but was always rejected because she didn’t have an engineering degree – although John Glenn didn’t have one either. Wally has an incredible can-do attitude and she never gave up on her dream to go to space. Funk put another notch into her belt of record breakings and emerged with a big grin and arms opened wide, a look of pure elation. ET from a site in the Texas desert, the rocket travelling at three times the speed of sound.Īt around an altitude of 250,000 feet, the capsule separated, taking Wally and the other passengers, including Bezos, to the edge of space, where the craft then descended under parachutes. Two days ago, at age 82, she joined Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on his historic flight to the edge of space aboard a rocket and capsule developed by his private spaceflight company, Blue Origin. She has been chief pilot for five aviation schools across the country. To date, as a professional Flight Instructor, she has soloed more than 700 students and put through 3,000 Private, Commercial, Multi-engine, Seaplane, Glider, Instrument, CFI, Al, and Air Transport Pilots. At 20, she became a professional aviator and an outstanding career in aviation followed, including winning many air races. She also was the top female skier in Slalom and Downhill in the US competition.įunk graduated Oklahoma State University, drawn to it primarily for its famous “Flying Aggies” program, winning many awards and certifications while there. Always a sportswoman, she enjoyed all sports and was an expert marksman, winning many shooting awards. At age nine, she had her first flying lesson. She built model airplanes and began making planes from balsa wood. Wally was always intrigued by planes, and when she was one year old her mother predicted she would fly. (NASA photograph) Funk was also an accomplished outdoorswoman, spending time riding her bike or her horse, skiing, hunting and fishing. The 82-year-old pilot will now be part of the first crew on New Shepard, and the oldest person ever to fly to space. Wally was born in New Mexico, in 1939 and grew up in Taos where her parents owned a general store. Wally Funk was the first female FAA inspector and first female NTSB air safety investigator. The Soviet Union put a woman in space in 1963, but no American woman flew for NASA until 1983. government shut down the Women in Space program. Flex and Fold Technology supports healthy feet with its unique shape giving complete freedom of movement. SKU: 9845551 Textile and synthetic upper with cushioned ankle collar. ![]() Yet, until now, none of them had gone to space, blocked entirely because of their gender. Get the perfect balance between style and comfort as you step out in the Hey Dude® Wally Funk Mono Loafers. All of them had logged many flight hours, in many cases more than the men who were accepted in the program. In 1961, she became the youngest Mercury 13 woman, undergoing testing that proved a woman could qualify for NASA’s corps of astronauts.Īll of the women who passed the testing did better than their male counterparts. Her goal was to become an astronaut, one of the first female astronauts. Finally realizing her dream at age 82, she is proof that it is never too late.Īt a time when it was unheard of, Funk became the first female civilian flight instructor at a U.S. On July 20, 2021, Wally Funk became the oldest person to fly to space – 60 years after being denied that right because she was a woman.
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