Pioneering aviator and astronaut trainee Wally Funk dead at 87

Wally Funk, a trailblazing aviator who shattered gender barriers in aviation and later became the oldest person to fly to space, has died in Texas at the age of 87. Her passing marks the end of a remarkable career that spanned decades and inspired many.

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I didn't think I'd ever get to go up.

Funk first gained recognition in the early 1960s as one of 13 women who underwent rigorous astronaut testing as part of the "Mercury 13" program. Despite passing all the tests, she and the other women were barred from NASA's astronaut corps due to their gender. This early exclusion did not deter Funk; she went on to log over 19,000 flight hours and train more than 3,000 pilots.

In July 2021, at the age of 82, Funk finally achieved her lifelong dream of spaceflight as a guest of billionaire Jeff Bezos on the inaugural flight of his company Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. This suborbital journey made her the oldest person to travel to space at the time, a record she held until later that year. Emerging from the spacecraft, Funk famously declared, "I've been waiting a long time... I want to go again, fast."

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I've been waiting a long time.

Funk's career was marked by numerous "firsts." She was the first female flight instructor at a U.S. military base, the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration, and the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. Her relentless pursuit of aviation and space exploration, despite facing significant obstacles, cemented her legacy as a true pioneer.

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I want to go again, fast.