Wally Funk, 87, pilot and oldest woman in space, dies

Aviation pioneer Wally Funk, who broke gender barriers in flight for seven decades and became the oldest woman to travel to space, died on July 8 at her home in Grapevine, Texas. She was 87. Her death was confirmed by city officials, who said she passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones.

Funk’s lifelong pursuit of spaceflight was famously delayed for six decades. In 1961, at age 21, she became the youngest member of the privately funded Women in Space Program, later known as the Mercury 13. The group of 13 female pilots underwent the same rigorous physical and psychological testing as NASA’s male Mercury Seven astronauts. Funk excelled, reportedly outperforming many of the men and becoming the only candidate to pass every test. Despite their qualifications, NASA did not select women as astronauts at the time, and the Mercury 13 were excluded from the space program.

Undeterred, Funk built a distinguished career in aviation. She earned her pilot’s license at 17 and went on to achieve a series of firsts. She became the first female flight instructor at a U.S. military base, the first female flight inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration, and the first female air...