For local insights and insiders travel tips that you wont find anywhere else, search any keywords in the top right-hand toolbar on this page. When she was 21, it looked as if it might happen. In 2012, filmed her life story for the Traveling Space Museum. But for many women and nonbinary people involved in space and astronomy, the moment is more nuanced than just a lifelong dream realized. Wallywent on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Oklahoma State University. In an interview, she revealed that when she entered Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, she hadnt even completed high school. According to Funk, since childhood, she was an adventure enthusiast who loved outdoor activities. NASA required astronauts to hold an engineering degree. Wally Funk pictured at a ceremony in Las Cruces, New Mexico for the first landing of the Virgin Galactic VSS Enterprise, October 22, 2010. To support our blog and writers we put affiliate links and advertising on our page. Across the board, the women who passed that initial round of testing did as well or better than their male counterparts, and of that group, Ms. Funk excelled. If not today, then in a couple of months.. Despite being younger than the recruiting age range of 2540, Funk was invited to take part. Wally Funk: Born in New Mexico in 1939, Funk has been flying professionally since 1957. [9], Funk moved on to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education at Oklahoma State University. In 1960,. (Collins invited Funk and others who underwent Lovelace's tests to watch the launch. And in 1995, Eileen Collins became the first woman to command a shuttle mission. . An undated photograph of aviator Wally Funk. At age 82, Wally Funk's energy is infectious and her perseverance is impressive. Follow her on Twitter at @meghanbartels. But Funk laid the groundwork for this flight during a brief period six decades ago, when she became one of the group that was, decades later, dubbed the Mercury 13 and is often misleadingly portrayed as a sort of women's counterpart for NASA's first group of astronauts, although the agency never endorsed their efforts and only began recruiting women for spaceflight in 1978. When you hear about these women today, they are often called the Mercury 13, but they called themselves the FLATs: First Lady Astronaut Trainees. After graduating from Stephens College, Wally Funk went to Oklahoma State University, where she pursued a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education and earned her Commercial, Single-engine Land, Multi-engine Land, Single-engine Sea, Instrument, and Flight lnstructors and all Ground Instructors ratings. Despite her impressive credentials, she was turned down for not having an engineering degree or a background as a test pilot. [9], As a high school student, Funk wanted to take courses such as mechanical drawing and auto mechanics, but because she was a girl, she was permitted to take only courses such as home economics. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Her score was the third best in the Mercury 13 program. You get her out there and start her flying.. Wally Funk, 82, will be the oldest person ever to travel to space on Tuesday, in Jeff Bezos rocket. Wally Funk never gave up on her dream of going to space. I go right to the wheel and I try to turn the nut, Wally said. [9] The National Rifle Association sent her incredible shooting results to the president, Dwight Eisenhower, and he wrote back to her. Including her on this flight is a nice bit of poetic justice.. By the age of 21, Wally Funk had become a professional aviator and started working as a Civilian Flight Instructor of noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army after she joined Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1960. She has probably spent more time in airplanes as a pilot than the three men she is going to space with have spent as airplane passengers. In 1959, the Mercury 7 was chosen. In 1971, Wally Funk became the first woman to successfully complete the FAA General Aviation Operations Inspector Academy course, which included Pilot Certification and Flight Testing procedures, handling accidents and violations. When Wally was 14, the National Rifle Association sent her incredible shooting results to President Dwight Eisenhower, who later wrote back to Wally, appreciating her work. Not only did they poke needles in me all the time, but tubes were poked down me and stuck up me, Funk remembers. Wally was present at the launch of Eileen Collins first Space Shuttle as a pilot and commander in 1995. The New Shepards flight will be the first of its kind when it reaches an altitude of 100 kilometers. Wally Funk as a child in Taos, New Mexico, My mother passed the flying gene down to me. There are many books and movies that acknowledge Wally Funk's place in the history of the space program, such as Martha Ackmann's . Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other astronomical and space event that's out of this world. I did what I had to do to fly., The air and how pretty it was, and how the ground looked. As a high school student, Funk sought out courses such as mechanical drawing and auto mechanics; however, as a girl, she was only allowed to take courses such as home economics. She had been fascinated by planes since she was a child, and got her pilot's license as a teenager. "It's so much more akin in my eyes as a sort of old-fashioned astronaut experience, more similar to the one that if NASA had allowed women into the astronaut corps 20 years earlier," Nelson said. After graduating from Stephens College, she attended Oklahoma State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education. [8] Funk became a member of the "Flying Susies" and rated first in her class of 24 fliers. Wally Funk, the oldest woman to go to space, was celebrated as a hometown and American hero in Grapevine on Aug. 7. Wally Funk, 82, will be the oldest person ever to travel to space on Tuesday, in Jeff Bezos' rocket. I saw there was an old-boys network, but my philosophy has always been to get over it, and move on., Nearly 60 years after passing her astronaut test, 82-year-old Wally Funk is finally going to space pic.twitter.com/ghXDieXwYh. With 19,600 hours of flight time, Wally Funk has taught more than 3,000 people to fly, and she has also trained thousands of Private, Commercial, Multi-engine, Seaplane, Glider, Instrument, CFI, Al and Air Transport Pilots. Wally says. [12] Funk investigated 450 accidents, ranging from a probable mob hit to a fatal crash at a mortuary. In 1973, when Wally was promoted as a specialist to FAA SWAP (Systems Worthiness Analysis Program), she became the first woman in the United States to hold this position. NASA used the tests to evaluate the military test pilots it had recruited for the young human spaceflight program. The program was run by William Randolph Lovelace, although it lacked official government sponsorship. At seven, Wally was building balsa wood planes. Happy travels! At the age of 21, Wally Funk joined Fort Sill, Oklahoma as a Civilian Flight Instructor of noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army, making her the youngest and the only female professional aviator in the US Army. Meet Wally Funk, the woman who's living that truth as we speak. It peaked at number 34 on the ARIA charts. Sue Nelson, a science journalist who traveled with Funk, told Space.com that she called to congratulate her on her flight. [5] Her record would stand until later that year when William Shatner's flight took place on October 13; Shatner was age 90 at the time. "It's poignant, she has waited a lifetime for this," she said. Over the years, she applied four times to be an astronaut and was turned down because she had never gotten an engineering degree. Wally Funk never married in her life. On June 23, 1975, in response to Mrs. Gerald Fords request, Wally Funk joined a luncheon at the White House in Washington, D.C. Wally Funk is also known for participating in air races, and she has successfully competed in many prominent womens air races including Powder Puff Derbys 25th Annual Race in which she stood 8th, Pacific Air Race in which she was placed 6th, and Palms to Pines Air Race in which she stood 8th. She received the "Outstanding Female Pilot" trophy, the "Flying Aggie Top Pilot" and the "Alfred Alder Memorial Trophy" two years in succession. Funk was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 1939[7] and grew up in Taos, New Mexico. Together with Gene Nora Jessen, Funk is one of the last two surviving members of the Mercury 13 group. . To register herself for these tests, she wrote letters to Cobb and Dr. William Randolph Lovelace, the man who devised the trials. I was given the gift of great confidence and born with the ability to fly., I go right to the wheel and I try to turn the nut, and mother said: Shes going to fly., The air and how pretty it was, and how the ground looked. In 1971, when Wally finished the FAA General Aviation Operations Inspector Academy course, she became the first woman in the United States to do so. In 1983, Wally watched as Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. Just as women were the secretaries and telephone operators on Earth, so too they would be in space, this line of thinking went, according to Weitekamp. ", Related: How to watch Blue Origin launch Jeff Bezos into space on July 20 Numerous books and movies have acknowledged Wally Funks role in the history of the space program like Martha Ackmanns 2003 history The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight and the Netflix documentary Mercury 13. After a wait of over six decades, Wally Funk finally got an opportunity to become an astronaut when Jeff Bezos invited her to join him on his voyage to space, aboard his own rocket, built by his company Blue Origin, on July 20, 2021, making her the oldest person to fly to space. According to Wally, her fascination for flying was so intense that she compromised with her formal studies and was never excellent at studies. In addition to scholarly publications with top presses, she has written for Atlas Obscura and Ranker. I did what I had to do to fly., When I was sent to Stephens College aviation program, I hadnt even graduated from High School yet. [15][13] Funk was then appointed an FAA Safety Counselor and became a renowned pilot trainer and speaker on aviation safety. The women were named in contrast to the Mercury 7, a group of seven male astronauts who were selected by NASA for the Mercury program, according to Space.com. On July 1, 2021, Jeff Bezos announced through an Instagram post that Wally Funk would be part of a four-person crew set to be launched into space by Blue Origin on July 20, 2021. Funk is listed in "Who's Who in Aviation". Wally Funk, who was five at the time, jumped from her fathers barn in Taos, New Mexico, while wearing a Superman cape. The Mercury 13 were skilled pilots who trained to be a part of NASAs spaceflight program before women were allowed to participate. Later, she traveled to Nevada, Arizona, and California, where she inspected flight schools and air taxi operations. Theres a nice bit of poetic justice in including her on this flight.. In 1970, after receiving the Commercial Glider Rating, she joined Redondo High School in California, where she taught five Aeronautical Science classes. Wally Funk, a trailblazing female pilot denied the job of astronaut in the 1960s over her gender, will finally get the chance to fulfill her dreams of going into space. [12], After the Mercury 13 program was canceled, Funk became a Goodwill Ambassador. Funk told The Guardian in 2002 she learned to fly at 16 after developing an early fascination in flight. In an interview, Wally revealed that she barged into the local airfield office and asked, 21 years old Wally Funk as the first female flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1960. Finally, the researchers pulled Wally from the tank as the pilot promised she could go longer. When NASA finally began accepting women in the late 1970s, Funk applied three times. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty ImagesWally Funk pictured at a ceremony in Las Cruces, New Mexico for the first landing of the Virgin Galactic VSS Enterprise, October 22, 2010. At Oklahoma State University (OSU), Wally Funk became an officer of the famous Flying Aggies, and she also flew for them in the International Collegiate Air Meets. Wally Funk, one of the First Lady Astronauts, in the cockpit of an AT-6 training plane in 1961. At the launch, an emotional Wally cried out. Inside The Enduring Mystery Of The Iconic Queen's Real Face, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Obviously, as we can see with Wally Funks case, agencies like NASA can make bad choices, and choose to exclude people who would be excellent astronauts. Go for us all., Im not a bra burner, and Im not a politician, Funk told the media I noticed there was an old-boys network, but my philosophy has always been to move on and get over it.. Funk during her youthful flying days. At the age of 82, Funk, who has spent six decades trying to reach space, will soon join Amazon founder Jeff Bezos onboard the Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, in the world's first unpiloted civilian space flight. She'll become the oldest person to fly in space when she launches. When Eileen Collins became the first female astronaut in 1995, Funk was on the launch pad cheering, Go Eileen. According to Mr. Bezos, he chose the date to celebrate the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Don Cravens/Getty ImagesPilot Wally Funk sits in the cockpit of an AT-6 training plane. On August 16, 1975, Wally participated in the Palms to Pines All Women Air Race from Santa Monica, California to Independence, Oregon in which she stood 2nd. Ms. Funks trip to space with Jeff Bezos is reason to celebrate. The pilot, flight instructor and almost . Mary Wallace Funk (born February 1, 1939) is an American aviator, commercial astronaut,[1][2] and Goodwill Ambassador. Wally spent years picturing herself as an astronaut even imagining takeoff. The tests had been designed by Dr. Lovelace for the Mercury astronauts. Also in 2022, The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum awarded its Michael Collins Trophy to Funk for Lifetime Achievement. When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos offered her a seat on the first crewed flight of his space tourism enterprise Blue Origin, it was an invitation aviator Wally Funk had waited six decades to receive. In November 1973, Wally Funks interview was aired on the Ad Lib television program What Will The Women Be Doing. And when she tried to enroll in an engineering program, Wally was told, Youre a girl go to home ec.. It was probably all of 15 minutes., I was the last Flying Susie to receive my license., I was required to do 100 miles of flying so I would fly around the countryside and even pick up my parents., Wally Funks collection of space and aviation memorabilia. [12][15] She worked for four years with the FAA as a field examiner, the first woman to do so. In an interview, while talking about this, she said that once her adviser called up her mother and said. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. But NASA rejected Wally again. Wally Funk was chosen by. They sent me right into college and right into flying., Mrs. Funk, your daughters not doing too well in her subjects. Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Courtesy of Wally Funk. Picture Courtesy of Sgt Jack Pritchard RAF Wikimedia Commons. But NASA refused to allow women into the space program. By contrast, when the astronaut John Glenn was selected for the Mercury program, he also did not have an engineering degree. In 1961, Wally Funk became the youngest member of the Mercury 13 program, a privately funded project meant to see how women held up to the pressures of spaceflight, and a program that never saw the light of day. Cady Coleman, a NASA astronaut who served aboard the space shuttle and the space station, sees in the invitation a message to Ms. Funk and many more unsung women in space and aviation. Related:Blue Origin's launch with Jeff Bezos: Everything you need to know. And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). [4] At nine, she had her first flying lesson. Seven of the pioneering Mercury 13, including Wally Funk (second left). Funk will also be the oldest person in space, according to Blue Origins press statement. Have a great ride, Wally Funk! [24] She enjoys sports and restoring antique automobiles, with a collection that includes a 1951 Hooper Silver Wraith. In 1961, Lovelace invited the 22-year-old pilot to join the study. In the book Promised the Moon by Stephanie Nolen, Ms. Funk said that during her first flight up, in a Cessna 172, The bug bit and that was it.. [10] [9] By the time she was seven, she was making planes from balsa wood. [9][13], Funk earned her Airline Transport Rating in 1968, the 58th woman in the U.S. to do so. Her mother declared, Shes going to fly.. After taking these tests successfully, Wally Funk, at the age of 21, became the youngest member of the Mercury 13; Cobb and 11 other successful participants also joined the program. Wally Funk was a member of the Mercury 13, a group of skilled female pilots who were excluded from NASA's first missions to space. Wally Funk has appeared on various television and radio programs, giving interviews and interacting with professionals. Wally Funk is second from the left. At Stephens College, she was required to fly 100 miles as part of her flying training. On July 20, Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, and Wally Funk boarded the first human flight. At the age of 82, Funk, whose full name is Mary Wallace Funk, was invited to join the crew of the New Shepards first manned space flight. She said. In 2022, Funk was awarded the R.A."Bob" Hoover trophy by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Talking about this, Funk says. https://t.co/4AnSX56hHW, The New York Times (@nytimes) July 19, 2021. When Wally is not flying an aircraft, she gets herself involved in other aspects of flying like ballooning, parachute jumping, and hang-gliding. At 18-years-old and 82-years-young, Oliver Daemen and Wally Funk represent the youngest and oldest astronauts to travel to space.. He wanted to put women through the same tests to see if they would be good candidates for space. She accepted a position as a Certified Flight Instructor, Charter, and Chief Pilot with an aviation company in Hawthorne, California, in the fall of 1961. Funk has been chief pilot for five aviation schools across the country. I can go out there and do anything.. On October 4, 1975, Wally Funk emerged as the winner of the Pacific Air Race from San Diego, California to Santa Rosa, California; she won the race against 80 participating competitors while flying her red and white Citabria. (Some of the tests focused on cardiovascular health, where the women had a key advantage, she noted, since most of the Mercury 7 smoked.). [3] Funk and six other members of the Mercury 13 were invited guests of Collins at the launch, and NASA gave them a behind-the-scenes VIP tour of the Kennedy Space Center complex. "There's a nice bit of poetic justice in including her on this flight. Funk told The Guardian in 2002 that she learned to fly at the age of 16 after developing an early interest in flight. [7]Ninety-Nines jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_5273_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_5273_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); In late November 1973, after returning to the FAA Academy, Wally took courses involving air-taxi, charter, and aviation rental businesses. In June 2010, she was inducted into the Oklahoma State Universitys Aviation Hall of Fame. Awards and honors Nor does Oliver Daemen, the 18-year-old high school graduate who will be riding up with her. In her early 40s, Wally applied to the training program four times. [9], At 20 years old, Funk became a professional aviator. Wally Funk took her first flying lesson at age nine. Weitekamp also published a book on Mercury 13. Wally Funk is an American aviator and commercial pilot who became the oldest person to fly into space after accompanying Amazon founder. In 1964, Funk became the youngest woman in the history of Stephens College to receive the Alumna Achievement Award, honored in recognition for her work in aviation. Meghan is a senior writer at Space.com and has more than five years' experience as a science journalist based in New York City. In an interview, Wally reminisced the moment. She said, When I was sent to Stephens College aviation program, I hadnt even graduated from High School yet. The first round of exams included x-rays, intrusive physical exams, and a test where Wally had to swallow three feet of rubber tubes. She became an expert markswoman at the age of 14, earning the Distinguished Riflemans Award. Today, Funk will have a lifelong dream fulfilled as a member of the Blue Origin flight crew. Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic crossed the 80 kilometer threshold, but has not been able to cross 100 kilometers, according to CNBC. When the New Shepard reaches an altitude of 100 kilometers, it is the first of its kind. And then we get into weightlessness, and were floating.. But nobody would take me," Funk said in the video released to announce her flight. When on Tuesday she crosses that arbitrary altitude that divides the heavens from Earth below, in a rocket built by Jeff Bezos company Blue Origin, shell be 82, the oldest person ever to go into space. First Republic secures $30 billion rescue from large banks Credit Suisse still has a fight on its hands despite $54 billion lifeline Meet Wally Funk, the 82-year-old pilot who just went to. For 40 years she has taught flying, both private and commercial, (she has 16,500 hours in the air and has soloed 800 student pilots), in addition, she became the first female investigator of the National Transportation Safety Board, The Guardian reported. Mary Wallace Funk (born February 1, 1939) is an American aviator, commercial astronaut, and Goodwill Ambassador.Wally Funk was a member of the Mercury 13, a group of skilled female pilots who were barred from participating in NASAs first space missions. On the other hand, her individually being granted this opportunity does nothing to address any of the reasons she was previously excluded from going to space, and in fact still poses a man of great privilege this time specifically Jeff Bezos as the gatekeeper for her access to space, access which she already earned and deserves.. That she was ultimately excluded from the first phase because she is a woman, and will now be included in the next one, also highlights difficult questions of whom space is for. She is extremely driven and competitive, which is typical of an early astronaut, test pilot type she fits the mold of those early astronauts.. "It was never a NASA project, it was really a privately funded investigation into women's physical capabilities for spaceflight," Weitekamp said. In 1969, Wally Funk was featured in eight South African and European magazines. Oliver Daeman: Meet the 18-Year-Old Who Is Going to Space. 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