lit a candle 7d agoLighting a candle from Singapore. Wally meant a great deal to a lot of us here.
Their story
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…
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.
Funk became the oldest person to go to space on July 20, 2021, at age 82, flying on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft during its suborbital flight, breaking a record held by John Glenn for 23 years. 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. As of 2026, Funk remains the oldest woman to have traveled into space.
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.
Biography adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos
3(from left to right) CH-46E pilot Lt. Col. Jenifer Nothelfer with Marine Transport Squadron 1and the commanding general of the 2nd Marine Air Wing, Maj. Gen. Jo
by People Forever
Wally Funk delivers remarks after accepting the 2022 Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime Achievement, Thursday, March 24, 2022, at the Smithsonian National Air
by People Forever
Exuberant and thrilled to be at the Kennedy Space Center, seven women who once aspired to fly into space stand outside Launch Pad 39B neat the Space Shuttle Dis
by People Forever
Yes. This.