Aviation Pioneer and Oldest Woman in Space Wally Funk Dies at 87
7 verified4 unconfirmed4 contested
Wally Funk, a pioneering aviator who became the oldest woman to travel into space six decades after being denied a NASA astronaut role, has died at age 87. Funk died Wednesday evening in Grapevine, Texas, according to city councilwoman and close friend Duff O’Dell, who was by her side. She was the last living member of the so-called Mercury 13, a group of women pilots who underwent the same physical and psychological tests as NASA’s original male astronauts in the early 1960s. Despite outperforming many male candidates, the privately funded program was canceled and NASA did not admit women until 1978. Funk finally reached space in July 2021 aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket as an honored guest of founder Jeff Bezos, logging a suborbital flight at age 82. She accumulated more than 19,600 flying hours and taught over 3,000 people to fly, and also served as the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration.
What’s verified
Wally Funk died Wednesday evening at age 87 at an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas.
Duff O’Dell, a Grapevine city councilwoman and close friend, announced Funk’s death and said she was with her.
Funk was the last living member of the Mercury 13, a group of 13 women pilots tested for spaceflight in the early 1960s.
She became the oldest woman to travel into space at age 82 on Blue Origin’s NS-16 flight on July 20, 2021, alongside Jeff Bezos.
The Mercury 13 program was privately funded and conducted separately from NASA; Funk was repeatedly denied a NASA astronaut position.
Funk logged over 19,600 flying hours and taught more than 3,000 people to fly private and commercial aircraft.
She served as the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Where accounts differ
One source states Funk died at her apartment in an assisted living facility, while the other says she died “at home.” Both agree the location was in Grapevine, Texas.
One source reports the Blue Origin flight duration as 11 minutes, while the other reports it as 10 minutes.
One source reports Funk was the 585th person to enter space, a detail not mentioned in the other source. This is listed in STILL UNCLEAR.
No other conflicting reports identified across sources.
Not yet confirmed
One source reports Funk was the 26th person to fly beyond 50 miles altitude and the 585th person in space, as recorded by the Association of Space Explorers. This detail is not confirmed by a second source.
One source reports Funk earned the FAA’s 13th pair of Commercial Space Astronaut Wings. This is not confirmed by a second source.
One source attributes a quote to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and a separate Blue Origin tribute post on X. These are not confirmed by the second source.
Questions not answered by the sources include: What infection did Funk have in her leg? How many times had she fallen recently? What were the exact dates and times of her death? Were there any public funeral arrangements?
Key figures
Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and astronaut
Duff O’Dell, Grapevine city councilwoman and friend
Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin
Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator (single source mention)
Sources: The Guardian, Ars Technica
