Wally Funk, pilot who finally reached space at 82, dies at 87

Wally Funk, the aviation pioneer who became the oldest woman to travel to space, died Wednesday in Grapevine, Texas. She was 87. Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O'Dell, who said she was Funk's caregiver, said Funk died at her assisted living apartment after recent falls and a leg infection. Funk was one of 13 women pilots later known as the Mercury 13 who completed the same testing as NASA's male astronaut candidates in the early 1960s but were never admitted to the program. She finally flew in 2021 as Jeff Bezos' guest on Blue Origin's first passenger mission from West Texas, reaching space at age 82.