Aviation trailblazer Wally Funk, who lived in Grapevine, has died, according to the city.<\/p>\n
In 2021, Funk was celebrated by the city of Grapevine for her historic spaceflight aboard<\/a> a Blue Origin New Shepherd rocket. The mission was six decades in the making, as Funk, known as a pioneer for women in aviation and spaceflight, underwent a series of tests as part of NASA\u2019s first human spaceflight program, \u201cProject Mercury,\u201d in the 1960s.<\/p>\n Funk was one of 13 women selected to undergo the tests, known as the \u201cMercury 13<\/a>.” Though it is commonly held that the group of women qualified to fly in space but were excluded because of their gender, Funk was adamant she was not selected because she did not have an engineering degree.<\/p>\n For 60 years, Funk has been a member<\/a> of the Ninety-Nines<\/a> group. The international organization includes licensed female pilots from 44 countries.<\/p>\n At the age of 22, Funk already had the resume of lifetime achievements. She earned top aviation ratings in college, was a professional certified pilot,<\/a> and became the first female civilian flight instructor at a U.S. military base \u2014 all at a time when women were systematically barred from many parts of life.<\/p>\n For Funk, all of it was in service of fulfilling one mission: becoming one of the first female astronauts. In 1961, the aviation whiz caught a break when, despite being under the required age of 24, she became the youngest of the so-called\u00a0Mercury 13 women, who underwent testing to demonstrate that women could qualify for NASA’s astronaut corps.<\/a><\/p>\n But because she was a woman, Funk’s dreams of flying into space never came to fruition.<\/p>\n Until 60 years later on July 20, 2021<\/a>. <\/p>\n Funk, no stranger to breaking records, made history as the oldest astronaut when she emerged from the Blue Origin New Shepherd capsule after landing in the West Texas desert, with a big grin and arms opened wide. A look of pure elation spread across her face.<\/p>\n Congratulations, Wally Funk! You did it! <\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n A success story 50+ years in the making. #HistoryMatters<\/a> #NeverGiveUp<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/kD4Es90kh0<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) July 20, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n Indeed, Funk excelled across the board in every test she was given while participating in NASA’s 1961\u00a0Women In Space Program<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 sometimes even\u00a0surpassing the men selected for the counter-astronaut program<\/a>\u00a0at the time. During one test, Funk was placed in a sensory deprivation tank where she remained for more than 10 hours before the researchers finally brought her out because they wanted to go home.<\/p>\n With more than 19,600 flying hours under her belt, Funk also likely has more time in the air than the three crewmen who joined her in space combined. She\u2019s taught 3,000 students to fly.<\/p>\n