09 jul 2026
Wally Funk, trailblazing pilot and astronaut, passes away at 87
Wally Funk, who flew to space at 82 after a lifetime of flying and fighting for women in aviation and aerospace, has passed away at age 87. Born in Texas in 1939, Funk was determined to take to the skies, flying as a teenager and becoming a professional aviator at the tender age of 20. Her dreams extended even beyond Earth , and in 1961 she joined the " Mercury 13 " group of women who completed the testing given to NASA's male Apollo astronauts. But Funk was the only Mercury 13 alum to ever reach space.
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