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Wally Funk, aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87
The aviation pioneer was the youngest Mercury 13 trainee and later set a record as the oldest woman to fly to space.
- Aviation pioneer Wally Funk died Wednesday at age 87, the city of Grapevine, Texas, announced Thursday. She passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones.
- In 1961, Funk participated in the Mercury 13 program, undergoing rigorous astronaut testing alongside male candidates. Despite ranking third among the 13 qualifying women, she was barred from NASA flights due to her gender.
- Funk achieved her lifelong dream in 2021, traveling aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard with Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos. At age 82, she became the oldest woman to reach space, earning a Guinness World Record.
- Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O'Dell honored Funk's legacy, stating "Wally Funk's unwavering determination proves that dreams have no expiration date." O'Dell noted her achievements continue inspiring young people to pursue aviation and space careers.
- Her career spanned more than 19,600 flight hours and trained over 3,000 pilots. Funk will be posthumously inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame at the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
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(Los Angeles=Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Kyung-yoon = Wally Funk, the oldest astronaut to have traveled to space at the age of 82, passed away on the 8th (local time). He was 87 years old...
·Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)
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Here you will find information on the topic "Aeronautics and space travel". Read now "US pilot and oldest woman in space - Wally Funk is dead".
·Germany
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Wally Funk wrote space history as the oldest woman in space. Now the US pilot died at the age of 87.
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Total News Sources118
Leaning Left29Leaning Right5Center73Last UpdatedBias Distribution68% Center
Bias Distribution
- 68% of the sources are Center
68% Center
L 27%
C 68%
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