Wally Funk was a pioneering aviator whose decades-long quest to reach space culminated in a 2021 Blue Origin flight at age 82, making her the oldest woman to fly to space. She was the youngest member of the Mercury 13 and completed extended testing including more than 10 hours in an isolation tank, yet was blocked from NASA astronaut selection. Funk logged roughly 19,000 flight hours, taught over 3,000 pilots, and served as the first female flight instructor at a U.S. military base and the first female U.S. government safety inspector.
Wally Funk — From Mercury 13 To Space At 82: The Pilot Who Waited Six Decades
Wally Funk, shown after her flight on Blue Origin in 2021, died at 87 on July 8 . | Credit: Getty
Wally Funk spent more than 60 years chasing a dream: to fly where few had gone. A trailblazing aviator and instructor, she finally reached the edge of space in 2021 at age 82 aboard Blue Origin’s first crewed flight, becoming the oldest woman to fly to space. Her journey — from the privately run Mercury 13 program in 1960 to a suborbital flight over 60 miles above Earth — is a story of persistence in the face of institutional barriers.
Early Life and Aviation Career
Mary Wallace "Wally" Funk grew up in New Mexico, encouraged by parents who celebrated her boldness. As a child she performed daring stunts, and while studying at Oklahoma State she earned licenses for airplanes, gliders and seaplanes. At 20 she became the first female flight instructor at a U.S. military base — at a time when many commercial airlines refused to hire women, sometimes citing the absence of women's lavatories. Funk later became the first female safety inspector for the U.S. government, investigating roughly 450 aircraft accidents. Over her career she logged about 19,000 flight hours and taught more than 3,000 pilots.
Mercury 13 And Denied Opportunities
In 1960 Funk joined a privately run program that put female pilots through the same rigorous physiological tests given to prospective male astronauts. At 22 she was the youngest of the group known today as the Mercury 13. She completed several advanced phases of testing — including more than 10 hours in an isolation tank — but the program was not sanctioned by NASA and women were excluded from official astronaut selection at the time. Funk applied to NASA four times; by the time Sally Ride flew in 1983, Funk was 44 and considered too old for selection.
Training On Her Own Terms
Undeterred, Funk continued astronaut-style preparation on her own. She took centrifuge tests, trained in a high-altitude chamber and even traveled to Russia to experience zero-gravity conditions. Alongside those efforts she maintained an active and distinguished flying career, competing in air races and mentoring generations of pilots.
Blue Origin Flight And Legacy
In July 2021, at age 82, Funk flew on Blue Origin’s NS-16 mission with Jeff Bezos. The suborbital flight, which crossed the U.S. definition of space at 50 miles and exceeded 60 miles above the Earth according to some reports, lasted roughly ten minutes and gave passengers a few minutes of weightlessness. After landing she famously declared,
"I want to go again, fast!"
Funk’s life is remembered not only for that singular flight but for a lifetime of breaking barriers: teaching thousands of pilots, inspecting hundreds of crashes, and demonstrating that determination can outlast decades of exclusion. Her story highlights both the advances and the obstacles women faced in aviation and space exploration.
Notable Achievements
- Youngest member of the Mercury 13 program (age 22)
- First female flight instructor at a U.S. military base
- First female safety inspector for the U.S. government, investigating ~450 crashes
- Logged ~19,000 flight hours and instructed over 3,000 pilots
- Oldest woman to reach space (Blue Origin, 2021, age 82)
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