Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and oldest woman in space, dies at 87
Consensus Summary
Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer and the oldest woman to travel to space, died aged 87 on Wednesday evening in Grapevine, Texas. She was born on 1 February 1939 and dedicated over seven decades to aviation, becoming one of the Mercury 13 female pilots in 1961 who underwent the same rigorous tests as NASAās male astronauts but were never selected. Despite being told she couldnāt become an astronaut due to her gender, she persisted, eventually flying to space in 2021 at age 82 aboard Jeff Bezosās Blue Origin rocket, setting a record as the oldest person to launch into space at the time. Her legacy includes being the first female flight instructor at a US military base, logging over 19,600 flying hours, and inspiring generations of women in aviation and space exploration. Both sources confirm her death was announced on Thursday by her caregiver, Duff OāDell, and highlight her determination to overcome gender barriers throughout her life.
ā Verified by 2+ sources
Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Wally Funk died aged 87
- Funk died on Wednesday evening at her apartment in an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas
- Her death was announced on Thursday by city councilwoman Duff OāDell, who was her caregiver
- Funk was born on 1 February 1939
- Funk was one of the 13 female pilots in the Mercury 13 program in 1961
- She was the youngest woman to graduate from the Mercury 13 program at 21 years old
- Funk flew to space in 2021 at age 82 on Jeff Bezosās Blue Origin rocket
- Her 11-minute flight made her the oldest person to launch into space at the time (later broken by others aged 90)
- She logged over 19,600 flying hours and taught more than 3,000 people how to fly
- Funk was the first female flight instructor at a US military base
- She was the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and later the National Transportation Safety Board
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Funk told the Guardian in 2019 that she could do all maneuvers as well as the boys, if not better, as a Flying Aggie at Oklahoma State University
- She spent 10 hours and 35 minutes in a sensory deprivation tank during Mercury 13 tests, outperforming John Glenn
- She made four attempts to join NASAās astronaut corps but was rejected due to lacking an engineering degree; NASA admitted female astronauts in 1978 when she was 39
- She wrote in her 2020 memoir that aviation was her whole life
- She was still teaching flying every Saturday in 2019 and said she would fly until she died
- She was the oldest woman to ever fly to space, with the record later broken by William Shatner and Ed Dwight in 2021 and 2024 respectively
- She had fallen a couple of times recently and had an infection in her leg, which took its toll
- Funk was described as the 'most eternally optimistic person' by her caregiver Duff OāDell
- She was told repeatedly by men, 'No, you canāt do this,' but never got mad, only became more determined
- She set a record as the oldest person to launch into space in 2021, beating John Glennās 1998 record at age 77
- She was a Virgin Galactic ticket holder
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian states Funk was born in 1939, but ABC does not mention her birth year explicitly
- The Guardian says Funk was 39 when NASA admitted female astronauts in 1978, but ABC does not mention this detail
- The Guardian lists 1961 as the year Funk volunteered for the Mercury 13 program, while ABC refers to the 1960s without specifying 1961
- The Guardian mentions Funkās age as 82 in 2021, while ABC also states this but does not specify the exact year she turned 82 (1939 + 82 = 2021, which aligns)
Source Articles
Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and oldest woman to go into space, dies at 87
Trailblazing pilot was denied opportunity to become Nasa astronaut but made history on Blue Origin flight in 2021 Wally Funk, a trailblazing aviation pioneer who was denied the opportunity to become a Nasa astronaut and half a century later became the oldest woman to travel into space, has died aged 87. Funk died peacefully on Wednesday evening at her apartment in an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas, city councilwoman and close friend Duff OāDell said on Thursday. OāDell, who describ
Wally Funk, the oldest woman to launch into space, dies aged 87
American aviation pioneer Wally Funk, who was the oldest woman to fly in space, has died at 87 in Texas.