Wally Funk

Wally Funk, a pioneering aviator who broke barriers in aviation and later became the oldest woman to travel to space, has passed away at the age of 87. Funk died peacefully on Wednesday evening at her assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas. She was a trailblazer in aviation, having been part of the "Mercury 13" group, women who underwent astronaut testing in the early 1960s but were denied the opportunity to become NASA astronauts due to their gender. Half a century later, in July 2021, Funk achieved her lifelong dream of space travel, joining Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin flight. At 82, she became the oldest person to fly into space at that time, a record she held until recently. Her death marks the end of an era for a woman who overcame significant obstacles and continued to inspire through her pursuit of space exploration.