Wally Funk: The Oldest Woman in Space and Mercury 13 Pioneer

For Wally Funk, the dream of becoming an astronaut began long before women were welcomed into America's space programme. In 1961, the gifted pilot completed the same gruelling medical and psychological tests given to NASA's first astronauts as part of the pioneering Mercury 13 programme. Despite outperforming many of her male counterparts, she was never given the chance to fly, not because of a lack of ability, but because she was a woman. Undeterred, Funk spent the next six decades building an extraordinary aviation career while refusing to abandon her childhood dream. In 2021, at the age of 82, she finally reached space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard, becoming the oldest woman ever to travel into space, a record recognised by Guinness World Records.

Wally Funk proved women could pass astronaut training in the 1960s

Born in 1939, Wally Funk developed a fascination with flying at an early age. Inspired by pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart, she earned her pilot's licence as a teenager before attending Oklahoma State University, one of the United States' leading aviation schools. By the time she graduated in 1960, Funk had logged thousands of hours in the air, flying everything from gliders and seaplanes to light aircraft. Her exceptional flying skills soon attracted the attention of the privately funded Mercury 13 programme, formally known as the First Lady Astronaut Trainees (FLATs). Led by physician Dr William Randolph Lovelace II, the same doctor who designed NASA's astronaut selection tests, the programme invited experienced female pilots to undergo the same rigorous physical and psychological examinations as the all-male Mercury 7 astronauts. Funk became one of only 13 women to complete the programme, achieving results that surpassed many of the men in several categories.

Why Wally Funk never became a NASA astronaut

Despite proving that women were physically capable of spaceflight, Funk and the other Mercury 13 candidates never progressed to official astronaut training. At the time, NASA required astronaut applicants to be military jet test pilots, a role that women were barred from holding because they could not serve in those positions within the U.S. military. As a result, none of the Mercury 13 participants met NASA's formal eligibility rules, regardless of their performance during testing. When hearings were later held in the U.S. Congress to discuss the possibility of training women as astronauts, resistance remained strong. According to Guinness World Records, astronaut John Glenn argued that excluding women reflected "the social order" of the era, and the Mercury 13 initiative was ultimately abandoned. While the Soviet Union sent Valentina Tereshkova into space in 1963, the United States would not launch its first female astronaut, Sally Ride, until 1983.

She refused to give up her dream despite decades of rejection

Although her path to space had been closed, Funk refused to leave aviation behind. She became the first female flight inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Throughout her career, she also worked as a flight instructor, eventually teaching more than 3,000 students to fly while accumulating nearly 20,000 hours of flying time. Funk repeatedly applied to NASA's astronaut programme but was rejected every time. Even into her seventies, she remained determined to reach space, once placing a $200,000 deposit for a future commercial spaceflight. As she famously said, "I will get up there somehow."

After waiting six decades, Wally Funk finally reached space at 82

That opportunity finally arrived in 2021. Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin, invited Funk to join the company's NS-16 mission as an honoured guest. On 20 July 2021, exactly 60 years after the Mercury 13 programme ended, she launched aboard the reusable New Shepard spacecraft from West Texas. The suborbital flight crossed the internationally recognised Kármán line, approximately 100 kilometres above Earth, allowing the crew to experience several minutes of weightlessness before returning safely to Earth. At 82 years and 169 days old, Wally Funk became the oldest woman ever to travel into space, a title officially recognised by Guinness World Records. At the time, she also became the oldest person to fly into space before that overall age record was later surpassed.

Wally Funk's legacy changed the history of women in space

Although she never became a NASA astronaut, Wally Funk's story has become one of the most powerful examples of perseverance in aviation history. The achievements of the Mercury 13 women helped challenge long-held assumptions about women's abilities in aerospace and inspired later generations of female astronauts. In 2007, the U.S. Congress formally recognised the Mercury 13 as pioneers who paved the way for women in spaceflight. Funk's eventual journey into space represented far more than a personal milestone. It symbolised the correction of a decades-old injustice and demonstrated that determination can outlast discrimination. Her remarkable life came to an end in July 2026, when she passed away at the age of 87. Yet her legacy continues to inspire aspiring pilots, astronauts and young women around the world. After waiting six decades for the opportunity she had earned as a young pilot, Wally Funk finally proved that dreams delayed do not have to be dreams denied.