Trailblazing aviator Wally Funk dies at Texas home

Wally Funk, the trailblazing American aviator who became the oldest woman to travel to space at age 82, has died at her home in Texas. She was 87. Funk, a former flight instructor and member of the Mercury 13 program, passed away on Thursday, 9 July 2026, surrounded by family and friends, her niece confirmed to *The Independent* .
Born in 1939 in New Mexico, Funk earned her pilot’s license at 16 and later became one of 13 women to complete the same rigorous physiological and psychological tests as NASA’s male astronaut candidates in the early 1960s. Despite outperforming many of her male counterparts, she was denied a place in the Mercury program due to NASA’s policy at the time, which restricted astronaut selection to military test pilots—then an exclusively male role. “They told me I was too pretty to be an astronaut,” Funk recounted in later interviews, a remark that underscored the institutional barriers she faced.
Her decades-long campaign for recognition culminated in 2021, when at age 82, she finally reached space aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket. The flight, part of Jeff Bezos’ first crewed mission, made her the oldest person to travel to space—a record she held until surpassed in 2023. “I’ve waited 60 years for this,” she said after landing, her voice trembling with emotion. “I want to go again.”
Funk’s journey from obscurity to global icon was marked by both personal resilience and public advocacy. After the Mercury 13 tests, she worked as a flight instructor and later as a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety inspector. She also served as the first woman to become a field office manager for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Colleagues described her as indefatigable, with a sharp wit and an unshakable belief in gender equality in aviation and space exploration.
Her death comes as the space industry undergoes rapid transformation, with private companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX redefining access to space. Yet Funk’s legacy extends beyond records and milestones. She became a symbol of perseverance for women in STEM fields, inspiring generations of pilots, engineers, and astronauts. In 2022, NASA posthumously awarded her the distinction of “Honorary Astronaut,” a belated recognition of her contributions.
Funk is survived by her brother, Warren Funk, and a large extended family. A private memorial service is planned in her hometown of Taos, New Mexico. Flags at the Taos Regional Airport, where she learned to fly, will be flown at half-mast in her honor.
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