Wally Funk

Mary Wallace Funk (February 1, 1939 – July 8, 2026) was an American aviator, commercial astronaut, and goodwill ambassador. She was the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, the first female civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the first female Federal Aviation Administration inspector, as well as one of the Mercury 13 group.

She was the last surviving member of the Mercury 13 group. Funk was also the only one of the 13 to have traveled to space.

Early life Funk was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico, on February 1, 1939,

As a child, Funk was captivated by planes. When she was one year old, her parents took her to an airport near where they lived in New Mexico and she got up close to a Douglas DC-3, an early airliner. "I go right to the wheel and I try to turn the nut", she recalled in an interview. "Mother said: 'She's going to fly. At the same time she represented the southwestern United States as a Top Female Skier in Slalom and Downhill races in U.S. competitions. Funk became a member of the "Flying Susies" and rated first in her class of 24 fliers. She graduated in 1958 with her pilot's license and an Associate of Arts degree.

Funk moved on to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education at Oklahoma State University. Funk was drawn to OSU primarily by its famous "Flying Aggies" program. She applied to three commercial airlines but, like other qualified female pilots, was turned away because of her sex. She worked for four years with the FAA as a field examiner, the first woman to do so. In 1973 she was promoted to FAA SWAP (Systems Worthiness Analysis Program) as a specialist, the first woman in the United States to hold this position. In late November 1973, Funk again entered the FAA Academy to take courses involving air-taxi, charter, and aviation rental businesses. Funk was then appointed an FAA Safety Counselor and became a renowned pilot trainer and speaker on aviation safety.

Like the other participants in the program, Funk was put through rigorous physical and mental testing. In one test, volunteers were placed in sensory deprivation tanks. Funk was in the tank, without hallucinating, for 10 hours and 35 minutes, a record. She passed her tests and was qualified to go into space. Her score was the third best in the Mercury 13 program. Despite this, the program was canceled before the women were to undergo their last test.

After the Mercury 13 program was canceled, Funk became a goodwill ambassador.

Later career

Funk continued to dream of going to space. When NASA finally began accepting women in the late 1970s, Funk applied three times. Despite her credentials, she was turned down for not having an engineering degree or a background as a test pilot.

In 1995, Lt. Col. Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle into space; Funk was too old to qualify to become a Space Shuttle pilot by the time Collins became one.

2021 suborbital space flight

On July 1, 2021, Blue Origin announced that Funk would fly as one of four passengers on the first New Shepard flight on July 20, 2021. The flight included Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen from the Netherlands, who became the youngest ever person in space during the flight. Funk, at age 82, became the oldest person to fly to space, exceeding John Glenn's record at the age of 77 in 1998 aboard STS-95. Her record was surpassed later that year by William Shatner, who flew aboard Blue Origin NS-18 at the age of 90.

Personal life and death Funk lived in Grapevine, Texas. She enjoyed sports and restoring antique automobiles, with a collection that included a 1951 Hooper Silver Wraith.

In popular culture The Flight of Wally Funk is a 2001 album by Australian rock band Spiderbait. It peaked at number 34 on the ARIA charts. Wally Funk is the title of the 11th track on Pleasure Seekers, the 2022 album by The Electric Swing Circus.

Awards and honors 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. for exhibiting “the airmanship, leadership, mentorship, and passion for aviation” that Hoover exemplified, as well as for having a “distinguished career as a pilot and aviation advocate while also serving as a source of inspiration and encouragement for current and prospective aviators.” Also in 2022, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum awarded its Michael Collins Trophy to Funk for Lifetime Achievement. Funk is listed in Who's Who in Aviation.