Ms. Funk has spent the past 60 years trying to find another way into space. [9], She has over 18,600 flight hours[3] and as of June2019[update] still flew each Saturday as an instructor.[4]. When Eileen Collins became the first female astronaut in 1995, Funk was on the launch pad cheering, Go Eileen. At age 82, Wally Funk's energy is infectious and her perseverance is impressive. And, of course, whereas the Mercury 7 became celebrities and spent the bulk of their careers with NASA, the women found other ways to fill their time. NASAJerrie Cobb poses next to a Mercury space capsule. Awards and honors "There's some interest and then it doesn't necessarily have a direct legacy. The New Shepards flight will be the first of its kind when it reaches an altitude of 100 kilometers. Wally Funk is an American aviator and commercial pilot who became the oldest person to fly into space after accompanying Amazon founder. But NASA refused to allow women into the space program. On August 16, 1975, Wally participated in the Palms to Pines All Women Air Race from Santa Monica, California to Independence, Oregon in which she stood 2nd. [4] At age 14, she became an expert marksman, receiving the Distinguished Rifleman's Award. The space flight took place on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. For Funk, with no spaceflight on the horizon, she set about traveling on Earth instead for a few years, then building a career as a pilot, flight teacher, and eventually investigating plane crashes and other safety issues for the government. On the one hand, I am thrilled for her that she is getting to live this dream she has held for so long, said Lucianne Walkowicz, an astronomer at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. [3]Huck Magazine jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_5273_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_5273_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); Wally talked about this in an interview. If not today, then in a couple of months.. Her father owned a five-and-ten store in Taos, New Mexico, while her mother was an art enthusiast. She was the keynote speaker for the United States at the World Aviation Education and Safety Congress in 1986. Wally dropped everything and rushed to Albuquerque. As she was recovering, a guidance counselor suggested that she take aviation classes to distract her. The article gave detail about the achievements of aviator Geraldyn Jerrie Cobb, who had just undergone a series of terrifying endurance tests for potential astronauts and completed it successfully. At the age of 21, Wally Funk joined Fort Sill, Oklahoma as a Civilian Flight Instructor of noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army, making her the youngest and the only female professional aviator in the US Army. Funk was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 1939[7] and grew up in Taos, New Mexico. For Nelson, seeing Bezos' announcement was a poignant moment. Ive waited a lifetime, honey, Nelson told Space.com. Funks bachelors degree didnt meet the requirements. This is Carol Butler, and I'm doing an oral history for the NASA History Office, with Wally Funk, retired NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] investigator, senior flight instructor, chief pilot, wonderful woman of aerospace. Today, Funk will have a lifelong dream fulfilled as a member of the Blue Origin flight crew. According to Wally, her fascination for flying was so intense that she compromised with her formal studies and was never excellent at studies. In 1969, Wally Funk was featured in eight South African and European magazines. (Some of the tests focused on cardiovascular health, where the women had a key advantage, she noted, since most of the Mercury 7 smoked.). Wally Funk while participating in the Mercury 13 program. Her path to space arguably begins with a ski accident in 1956 that crushed two of her vertebrae. "It's poignant, she has waited a lifetime for this," she said. [9] In 1986, she was the key speaker for the US at The World Aviation Education and Safety Congress. [14], In 1971, Funk earned the rating of flight inspector from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), becoming the first woman to complete the FAA's General Aviation Operations Inspector Academy course, which includes Pilot Certification and Flight Testing procedures, handling accidents, and violations. NASA did not admit women to its astronaut training program until 1978. Born in New Mexico in 1939, Wally Funk says she has had a life-long love of aviation, taking her first flying lesson aged nine. She says. There was nothing I couldnt do., Wally Funk waving in front of an aircraft while riding a bicycle, I was not an A student. Today, Funk will have a lifelong dream fulfilled as a member of the Blue Origin flight crew. NASA required astronauts to hold an engineering degree. [12][15] She worked for four years with the FAA as a field examiner, the first woman to do so. (brother Dave's full video here: https://t.co/oqFZQDV7gD) pic.twitter.com/XKJxgTcDPG, Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) July 19, 2021. The family had a collection of artwork from artists at the Taos art colony, as the artists would trade artwork to pay off their debt at the store. In 1975, Wally Funk was named Honorary Colonel by the Governor of Louisiana. Funk and the others were skilled pilots who,. Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Wally Funk as a child in Taos, New Mexico, My mother passed the flying gene down to me. She said, Ive waited a lifetime, honey,' Nelson told Space.com. Wally spent years picturing herself as an astronaut even imagining takeoff. On the phone, Funk echoed a sentiment from the first female astronauts launch. When Wally is not flying an aircraft, she gets herself involved in other aspects of flying like ballooning, parachute jumping, and hang-gliding. [3], As a child, Funk was captivated by planes. She is extremely driven and competitive, which is typical of an early astronaut, test pilot type she fits the mold of those early astronauts.. The article entitled A Lady Proves Shes Fit for Space Flight, which was published on August 29, 1960, described a series of terrifying endurance tests that aviator Geraldyn Jerrie Cobb had just successfully completed; these tests were designed to test the aspiring astronauts. The 22-year old had to show that she could withstand the remoteness of space. [15] To date, as a professional Flight Instructor she has soloed more than 700 students and put through 3,000 Private, Commercial, Multi-engine, Seaplane, Glider, Instrument, CFI, Al, and Air Transport Pilots. But as much as I wholeheartedly support Bezoss decision to send Wally now, I still dont know if I like the new criteria any better.. Ms. Funk donned a gas mask as part of training in 1961. Fighting for access to space. The aviation pioneer was once denied a chance to become an astronaut because of her gender. I did what I had to do to fly., When I was sent to Stephens College aviation program, I hadnt even graduated from High School yet. Wally you matter. During the same time, she attended two schools for field investigators to learn crucial things about airplane accidents and how to investigate them. [23], Funk currently lives in Grapevine, Texas. At an early age, Wally Funk was fascinated by flying, and the interest developed at such an early age that according to Funk, she cant remember a time when she wasnt fascinated by flying. I first flew in a plane at eight, and by the age of 10 I had mother drive me out to an airstrip to study the planes parked there, Funk told The Guardian. Funk told The Guardian she never married, saying she is married to airplanes. She said in the interview that she carried no resentment over being grounded from spaceflight. Wally Funk never gave up on her dream of going to space. At the age of 82, Funk, who has spent six decades trying to reach space, will soon join Amazon founder Jeff Bezos onboard the Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket, in the world's first unpiloted civilian space flight. Reportedly, the program was scrapped because its private funding was pulled. [12] Funk investigated 450 accidents, ranging from a probable mob hit to a fatal crash at a mortuary. Meghan earned an MA in science journalism from New York University and a BA in classics from Georgetown University, and in her free time she enjoys reading and visiting museums. Oliver Daeman: Meet the 18-Year-Old Who Is Going to Space. Go for all of us, the article said. "I just got a lump in my throat and tears welled up." All of these women were pilots who had logged hundreds or thousands of flight hours in some cases more than the men who were selected for the astronaut program. How to watch Blue Origin launch Jeff Bezos into space on July 20, Blue Origin's first astronaut launch updates, As space billionaires take flight, 'the right stuff' for space travel enters a new era, Blue Origin's launch with Jeff Bezos: Everything you need to know, Meet the crew launching on Blue Origin's 1st astronaut flight on July 20, Grab the Celestron Travel Scope 70 for under $100, How to watch SpaceX's 1st Starship space launch live online for free today (April 17), Watch the moon and Saturn have a close encounter in the sky tonight, The Lyrid meteor shower begins April 16 to light up the spring night sky, What's next for Europe's JUICE mission? We may all come from different walks of life but we have one common passion - learning through travel. She was the first woman to work as a field examiner for the FAA for four years. The duration of the flight was 10 minutes (from its launch to capsule touchdown in the desert), and it reached a height of 107 km above the earth, while Richard Bransons trip to space and back lasted about 90 minutes from take-off to landing, which reached a height of 86 km. Funk says it was a pivotal moment that inspired her to become a pilot. Rather than floating in a dark tank of water, the men sat in a dark room with a pen and paper to keep them from getting bored. [18], On July 1, 2021, Blue Origin announced Funk would fly on the first New Shepard flight with passengers, one of four on the flight, including Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen from the Netherlands, who became the youngest ever person in space during the flight of July 20, 2021. Some of those women see Ms. Funk as a personal hero who broke down gender barriers, and they hope she will again become an example to women and girls. According to Space.com, the women were named after Mercury 7, a group of seven male astronauts chosen by NASA for the Mercury program. She climbed into the cockpit for her first flying lesson at nine. Sue Nelson, a science journalist who traveled with Funk, told Space.com that she called to congratulate her on her flight. In 2017, Wally Funk's name was inscribed on the Smithsonian. Ms. Funk's trip to space with Jeff Bezos is reason to celebrate. Funk, whose full name is Mary Wallace Funk, was invited to be a crew member on the New Shepards first manned space flight at age 82. She passed her tests and was qualified to go into space. This page was last edited on 5 April 2023, at 03:27. Ms. Funk said that when she learned the program was canceled, she wasnt discouraged. Wallywent on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Oklahoma State University. [9] In 1987, Funk was appointed Chief Pilot at Emery Aviation College, Greeley, Colorado, overseeing the entire flight programs for 100 students from Private to Multi-engine flight Instructor and Helicopter ratings. Wally Funk. Her aim was to not only to just do it to the best of her ability, every test, but to try to do better than whoever had gone before her, said Nelson, who traveled with Funk to research her book, Wally Funks Race for Space. She just is immensely driven and competitive, which is a sort of the typical early astronaut, test pilot type really she fits the mold of those early astronauts.. But Funk laid the groundwork for this flight during a brief period six decades ago, when she became one of the group that was, decades later, dubbed the Mercury 13 and is often misleadingly portrayed as a sort of women's counterpart for NASA's first group of astronauts, although the agency never endorsed their efforts and only began recruiting women for spaceflight in 1978. [9], At 20 years old, Funk became a professional aviator. [4] At OSU, Funk earned a large number of aviation certificates and ratings, including her Commercial, Single-engine Land, Multi-engine Land, Single-engine Sea, Instrument, Flight Instructor's, and all Ground Instructor's ratings. The Mercury 13 were skilled pilots that trained to be a part of NASAs spaceflight program before it began including women. Wally Funk is a pioneer American aviator who, at the age of 21, was the youngest member of the Mercury 13 program, a privately funded project in the 1960s that meant to see how women held up to the pressures of spaceflight. She has also been featured in Charles Paul Mays Women in Aeronautics; Ladybirds II The Continuing Story of American Women in Aviation by Henry M. Holden and Captain Lori Griffith; Woman into Space, The Jerrie Cobb Story, Amelia Earharts Daughters, Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aviation in Space, and Aerospace Education.. [4] Twenty-five women were invited, nineteen enrolled, and thirteen graduated, including Funk, who at 21 was the youngest. Born Mary Wallace Funk in 1939, Wally began her flying career early. There was nothing I couldnt do., Wally Funks childhood photo while she was growing up in Taos, New Mexico. Those tests were developed for NASA by a team led by William Randolph Lovelace and were designed to identify any weaknesses that might identify hidden health issues before flight. She had her first flight lesson at age nine, became a licensed pilot at 17 and has logged more than 19,000 flying hours. You get her out there and start her flying.. According to Blue Origins press release, Funk was the oldest person in space. Wally Funk is a trailblazing American aviator who has many firsts to her name including the first female civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, and the first female Federal Aviation Agency inspector. Ms. Funk was in the tank for over 10 hours when the researchers finally brought her out because they wanted to go home. Together with Gene Nora Jessen, Funk is one of the last two surviving members of the Mercury 13 group. Higher, faster, longer that is my motto, said Wally. [9] By the time she was seven, she was making planes from balsa wood. Discover Walks contributors speak from all corners of the world - from Prague to Bangkok, Barcelona to Nairobi. She said. I just believed it would come, she said. Seven of the pioneering Mercury 13, including Wally Funk (second left). Go for us all., Im not a bra burner, and Im not a politician, Funk told the media I noticed there was an old-boys network, but my philosophy has always been to move on and get over it.. Soon after writing letters to Cobb and Dr. William Randolph Lovelace, Wally was called to Albuquerque to participate in the Woman in Space Program. Her childhood hero was Amelia Earheart, she told the publication. The Real Wally Funk. But NASA rejected Wally again. Funk was a skilled outdoorswoman who enjoyed riding her bike or horse, skiing, hunting, and fishing. To convince NASA, Wally knew she would need to outlast the Mercury astronauts. While at OSU, Funk was a member of Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Epsilon chapter. Wally Funk is the title of the 11th track on Pleasure Seekers, the 2022 album by The Electric Swing Circus. At the age of 14, President Dwight Eisenhower sent her a letter of appreciation, after the National Rifle Association praised about her shooting results. Wally was interviewed on Gene Burkes television program Salute of Women in Aviation in the fall of 1975. Wally Funk as a child in Taos, New Mexico. When the space agency announced the new policy, Wally decided she wasnt too old to go to space. Wally Funk poses for a picture with Jessica Meir, who was selected as a Nasa astronaut candidate in 2013. Wally retired as an Air Safety Investigator after 11 years of service in 1985 and was later appointed as an FAA Safety Counselor and went on to become a well-known pilot trainer and aviation safety speaker. Later, the Mercury 13 program was called off even after all its participants proved that they could endure extreme physical punishment. I knew then that I wanted to fly for the rest of my life.. In the fall of 1961, Wally Funk started as a Certified Flight Instructor, Charter, and Chief Pilot at an aviation company in Hawthorne, California. [15][13] Funk was then appointed an FAA Safety Counselor and became a renowned pilot trainer and speaker on aviation safety. On October 4, 1975, Wally Funk emerged as the winner of the Pacific Air Race from San Diego, California to Santa Rosa, California; she won the race against 80 participating competitors while flying her red and white Citabria. Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, Associate of Arts degree from Stephens College, Riding Bike, Horse Riding, Hunting, Fishing. I was given the gift of great confidence and born with the ability to fly., I go right to the wheel and I try to turn the nut, and mother said: Shes going to fly., The air and how pretty it was, and how the ground looked. Wally Funk was a member of the Mercury 13, a group of skilled female pilots who were excluded from NASA's first missions to space. Katie Mack, an astrophysicist and assistant professor of astronomy at North Carolina State University, also spoke to the thrill of Ms. Funk going to space but also about who gets to make the decisions. Including her on this flight is a nice bit of poetic justice.. "It was never a NASA project, it was really a privately funded investigation into women's physical capabilities for spaceflight," Weitekamp said. From left: Gene Nora Jessen, Wally Funk, Jerrie Cobb, Jerri Truhill, Sarah Rutley, Myrtle Cagle, and Bernice Steadman. "Her aim was to not only to just do it to the best of her ability, every test, but to try to do better than whoever had gone before her," Sue Nelson, a science journalist who later traveled with Funk to research her book, "Wally Funks Race for Space" (Chicago Review Press, 2019), told Space.com. Funk became a professional aviator at the age of 20. She has probably spent more time in airplanes as a pilot than the three men she is going to. In an interview, she reminisced about her first experience with airplanes. She said. Her first job was as a Civilian Flight Instructor for noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The women, who became known as the Mercury 13, passed many of the same tests as the men, but never got to go to space. Wally Funk was chosen by. They sent me right into college and right into flying.. [3] The media dubbed the group the "Mercury 13", a reference to the Mercury 7. Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her on Twitter @meghanbartels. Jerrie Cobb poses next to a Mercury space capsule. Wally Funk: Born in New Mexico in 1939, Funk has been flying professionally since 1957. When she emerged, the researchers asked, Do you still want to go to space? Wally said yes. Sixty-two years ago, NASA's Mercury Project . [2]Ninety-Nines jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_5273_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_5273_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); When Wally joined Stephens College, she hadnt even graduated from High School. Have a great ride, Wally Funk! But for the moment, for those four minutes of Blue Origins flight on Tuesday, space will be for Wally Funk, and those three men who are fortunate enough to be able to witness her joy firsthand. Lovelace wanted to bring those 13 in for still more tests, this time at government facilities, but couldn't get approval. I just wish it had been longerand could do a lot more rolls and twists and so forth. Mary Wallace Funk (born February 1, 1939) is an American aviator, commercial astronaut, and Goodwill Ambassador.Wally Funk was a member of the Mercury 13, a group of skilled female pilots who were barred from participating in NASA's first space missions. Anyone can read what you share. As a high school student, Funk sought out courses such as mechanical drawing and auto mechanics; however, as a girl, she was only allowed to take courses such as home economics. But NASA never sent her to space. Her mother declared, Shes going to fly.. She stood second in the Palms to Pines All Women Air Race that took place from Santa Monica, California to Independence, Oregon on August 16, 1975. In an interview, Wally revealed that she barged into the local airfield office and asked, 21 years old Wally Funk as the first female flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1960. Wally has set aside a corner of her home in Grapevine for her collection of space and aviation memorabilia that she has collected over the years. In the video released with Blue Origin about her joining the flight, she said that she has racked up 19,600 flight hours on a variety of aircraft and has taught more than 3,000 people to fly. Youve probably heard of Wally Funk, the oldest person to set foot in space. [3], In July 2020 Funk published a memoir, Higher Faster Longer My Life in Aviation and My Quest for Space Flight with author Loretta Hall. In late November 1973, Wally Funk returned to the FAA Academy, where she underwent air-taxi, charter, and aviation rental businesses-related courses, and following this, Wally inspected flight schools and air taxi operations while traveling to Arizona, Nevada, and California. In 1961, pilot Wally Funk donned a one-piece bathing suit and entered a pitch black isolation tank. In an interview, Wally talked about this. Live updates: Blue Origin's first astronaut launch updates. Related: As space billionaires take flight, 'the right stuff' for space travel enters a new era. Despite this, the program was canceled before the women were to undergo their last test. She chose Oklahoma State University for college so she could fly on the aviation team. In 2022, Funk was awarded the R.A."Bob" Hoover trophy by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. On June 23, 1975, in response to Mrs. Gerald Fords request, Wally Funk joined a luncheon at the White House in Washington, D.C. Wally Funk is also known for participating in air races, and she has successfully competed in many prominent womens air races including Powder Puff Derbys 25th Annual Race in which she stood 8th, Pacific Air Race in which she was placed 6th, and Palms to Pines Air Race in which she stood 8th. By the age of 21, Wally Funk had become a professional aviator and started working as a Civilian Flight Instructor of noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army after she joined Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1960. On July 20, 2021, Blue Origins New Shepard rocket successfully landed back in West Texas deserts after making a successful journey into space, carrying Wally Funk and three fellow passengers Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, and an 18-year-old physics student Oliver Daemen. Lovelace had designed NASAs astronaut tests and decided, on his own, to see whether women might make better astronauts than men. [9], In 2012, she put money down to be one of the first people to fly into space via Virgin Galactic. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! According to sources, Elon Musks flight promises to reach a height of 300 km above the earth, which would last about three to four days from take-off to landing. When she applied to become a commercial pilot at TWA and Continental, she was turned down because they didnt have a ladys bathroom at the training facility, she told The Guardian. Theres a nice bit of poetic justice in including her on this flight.. This morning Wally Funk, age 82, who once trained to be an astronaut in the 1960s as one of the Mercury 13, became the oldest person ever to fly to space. According to Wally, while she was growing up, her parents never discouraged her outdoor adventures, and they always supported her outdoor ventures. In 1973 she was promoted to FAA SWAP (Systems Worthiness Analysis Program) as a specialist, the first woman in the United States to hold this position. As we move forward into the world where commercial spaceflight offers opportunities to go based, not on skills, but on the amount of money in ones wallet, we will have to continue to ask the question: Who is space is really for? I am most interested in these tests to become an Astronaut, this has been ever since I learned to fly, she wrote in a letter to Dr. William Lovelace. NASASeven members of the Mercury 13 watching a 1995 shuttle launch. And then we get into weightlessness, and were floating.. But, flying was my thing. In addition to flying airplanes, Wally is interested in parachute jumping, ballooning, and hang-gliding. "The 13 of the 25 who became the finalists on average did as well or in some cases better than the Mercury 7 astronauts did," Weitekamp said. Aviation News Illustrated, the Oklahoma State Alumnus magazine, has featured Wally Funk on its front cover. Related:Blue Origin's launch with Jeff Bezos: Everything you need to know. Funk contacted Lovelace, detailing her experience and achievements. In March 2019, Sue Nelson, one of the close friends of Wally Funk, published a biography entitled Wally Funks Race for Space, which was published by the Chicago Review Press. 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