wally funk facts

They sent me right into college and right into flying., Mrs. Funk, your daughters not doing too well in her subjects. And then we get up to about ten thousand feet or forty thousand feet and climbing . She saw an article in Life magazine with a photo of a woman floating in an isolation tank, under the headline Damp Prelude to Space, and she immediately sent letters off to the woman, the doctors in the article and to the hospital that had run the test. She said. '"[4][8] She became interested in mechanics and built model airplanes and ships. More than 60 years after passing her astronaut training tests, Wally would finally go to space. Wally Funk is an American aviator and commercial pilot who became the oldest person to fly into space after accompanying Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and two others on a suborbital trip on July 20, 2021. Wally Funk, one of the "Mercury 13" pilots who fought to open NASA's early astronaut program to women, will . [4]Ninety-Nines jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_5273_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_5273_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); According to Funk, the reason behind attending Oklahoma State University (OSU) was that she was drawn to their famous Flying Aggies program. 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. "Mother said: 'Shes going to fly. While at OSU, Funk was a member of Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Epsilon chapter. In addition to flying airplanes, Wally is interested in parachute jumping, ballooning, and hang-gliding. Funk told The Guardian in 2002 she learned to fly at 16 after developing an early fascination in flight. So instead, Wally devoted herself to her career in aviation. [24] She enjoys sports and restoring antique automobiles, with a collection that includes a 1951 Hooper Silver Wraith. Wally Funk is second from the left. In the book Promised the Moon by Stephanie Nolen, Ms. Funk said that during her first flight up, in a Cessna 172, The bug bit and that was it.. Ms. Funk's trip to space with Jeff Bezos is reason to celebrate. [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. 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. Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, Associate of Arts degree from Stephens College, Riding Bike, Horse Riding, Hunting, Fishing. Including her on this flight is a nice bit of poetic justice.. Also in 2022, The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum awarded its Michael Collins Trophy to Funk for Lifetime Achievement. The women were named in contrast to the Mercury 7, a group of seven male astronauts who were selected by NASA for the Mercury program, according to Space.com. At the age of 14, President Dwight Eisenhower sent her a letter of appreciation, after the National Rifle Association praised about her shooting results. 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. They sent me right into college and right into flying.. The researchers behind the test assumed no one could withstand an isolation tank for more than six hours. [10] Frustrated, Funk left high school early at the age of 16 and entered Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. 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. Wally flew for Oklahoma State University in the International Collegiate Air Meets as an officer of the famous Flying Aggies.. More of her fascinating facts are discussed in this article. Moreover, she has also been featured in Women in Aeronautics by Charles Paul May; 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.. . 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.. In 1969, Wally Funk was featured in eight South African and European magazines. And when she tried to enroll in an engineering program, Wally was told, Youre a girl go to home ec.. Wally said. Funk was 22 years old when she joined Lovelace's program, the youngest of the group. Her first job at age 20 was in Oklahoma as a civilian flight instructor for U.S. Army officers. [11] Funk was drawn to OSU primarily by its famous "Flying Aggies" program. Ms. Funk, who goes by Wally, was one of 13 American women who went through a rigorous astronaut-training program in the 1960s to determine whether women were fit for space.Despite testing just as . While attending OSU, she also earned her Commercial, Single-engine Land, Multi-engine Land, Single-engine Sea, Instrument, and Flight instructors and all Ground Instructors ratings. Just as women were the secretaries and telephone operators on Earth, so too they would be in space, this line of thinking went, according to Weitekamp. Interesting facts about Franklin Chang-Diaz, Top 10 Things to do Around the Eiffel Tower, 10 Things to Do in Paris on Christmas Day (2022), 10 Things to Do in Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. (The vehicle itself, of course, is dubbed for one of the group she so notably did not become, Alan Shepard, who became the first American in space with a suborbital flight on May 5, 1961.). But, flying was my thing. Wally Funk was chosen by. A success story 50+ years in the making. According to Wally Funk, while she was undergoing her flying training at Stephens College, she would often pick up her parents while flying around the countryside as she was required to do 100 miles of flying. At Albuquerque, Wally underwent five and a half days of training during which she had to ingest radioactive material and having icy water poured into her ears; these tests were similar to the tests taken on by the Mercury 7, NASAs first successful human space mission. While growing up in Taos, New Mexico, where her parents ran a chain of shops, her mother noticed that she was not like a typical American girl, rather she was a tomboy who would ride horses and compete in marksmanship contests. Funk says it was a pivotal moment that inspired her to become a pilot. Today, Funk will have a lifelong dream fulfilled as a member of the Blue Origin flight crew. On the other hand, her individually being granted this opportunity does nothing to address any of the reasons she was previously excluded from going to space, and in fact still poses a man of great privilege this time specifically Jeff Bezos as the gatekeeper for her access to space, access which she already earned and deserves.. Wally Funks performance was considered the third-best in the Mercury 13 program. Funk was in the tank, without hallucinating, for 10 hours and 35 minutes, a record. Wally Funks father owned a five-and-ten store in Taos, New Mexico, while her mother was an art enthusiast. Don Cravens/Getty ImagesPilot Wally Funk sits in the cockpit of an AT-6 training plane. [4] At nine, she had her first flying lesson. The Mercury 13 were skilled pilots who trained to be a part of NASAs spaceflight program before women were allowed to participate. Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other astronomical and space event that's out of this world. Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty ImagesWally Funk pictured at a ceremony in Las Cruces, New Mexico for the first landing of the Virgin Galactic VSS Enterprise, October 22, 2010. Weitekamp also wrote a book about the Mercury 13. When Wally was 14, the National Rifle Association sent her incredible shooting results to President Dwight Eisenhower, who later wrote back to Wally, appreciating her work. And from Nelson's description of calling to congratulate her friend on the invitation, Funk is conscious of the weight of history that she'll carry into the capsule. A biography titled Wally Funks Race for Space by Wally Funks friend Sue Nelson was published by the Chicago Review Press in March 2019. She said, I cant tell people that are watching how fabulous I feel to be picked by Blue Origin to go on this trip.. Wally FunkWally Funk took her first flying lesson at age nine. Funk and Bezos will make up half the crew of the first crewed flight of Blue Origin's reusable suborbital space tourism vehicle, dubbed New Shepard, when it launches from the west Texas desert on Tuesday morning (July 20). 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. Her path to space arguably begins with a ski accident in 1956 that crushed two of her vertebrae. 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. She said. NASASeven members of the Mercury 13 watching a 1995 shuttle launch. Not only did they poke needles in me all the time, but tubes were poked down me and stuck up me, Funk remembers. The space flight took place the morning of Tuesday, July 20, 2021. But her lifelong dream. "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. In late November 1973, Wally again entered the FAA Academy to take courses involving air-taxi, charter, and aviation rental businesses. Soon, Wally Funk was inducted into the Woman in Space Program for which she traveled to Albuquerque, where she underwent five and a half days of rigorous tasks and intrusive examinations during which she had to ingest radioactive material and pour icy water into her ears; these tests were almost similar to the tests taken by male astronauts of Mercury 7, NASAs first successful human space mission. Funk received her Airline Transport Rating in 1968, making her the 58th woman in the United States to do so. Wally Funk never gave up on her dream of going to space. During the launch, Wally reportedly cried out of emotion , She became the oldest person to fly into space on July 20, 2021, after over 50 years of waiting. Wally says. 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. For local insights and insiders travel tips that you wont find anywhere else, search any keywords in the top right-hand toolbar on this page. 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. Wally Funk: Born in New Mexico in 1939, Funk has been flying professionally since 1957. There was nothing I couldnt do., One day, Funk picked up a copy of Life magazine. But nobody would take me," Funk said in the video released to announce her flight. Go for all of us, the article said. None of the men lasted longer than three hours. Wally didnt complain she wanted to go to space. On some tests, she scored better than John Glenn. A few months after passing the first round, Wally traveled to Oklahoma City for round two. After the successful flight, Funk emerged from the New Shepard capsule with her arms spread out wide and a smile on her face. Despite her impressive credentials, she was turned down for not having an engineering degree or a background as a test pilot. 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. Hes the one who gets Ms. Funk into space. In one test, volunteers were placed in sensory deprivation tanks. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook. The 22-year old had to show that she could withstand the remoteness of space. While Funks mission to become one of the first female astronauts in space was thwarted, her flight made history. When Wally turned seven, she started making planes from balsa wood. Ms. Funk flew at every opportunity, including sneaking out of a formal dance to go night flying. 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. Various magazines have featured Wally Funk, including Life, Town and Country, and Ms Magazine. Wally Funk has been a trailblazer for women in aviation and spaceflight since 1960. On July 1, 2021, Jeff Bezos announced through an Instagram post that Wally Funk would be part of a four-person crew set to be launched into space by Blue Origin on July 20, 2021. In her senior year of college, when she earned a trophy recognizing her as the most outstanding pilot, the airport manager gave it to her said, Mark my words, if ever a woman flies into space, it will be Wally, or one of her students.. [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. In 1964, she became the youngest woman in the history of Stephens College to receive the Alumna Achievement Award. In 1983, Wally watched as Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. None of those women have gone into space. She wrote directly to the researcher behind the study, Randy Lovelace. She climbed into the cockpit for her first flying lesson at nine. Fighting for access to space. Wally wanted to prove that women could become astronauts in an era before NASA accepted female trainees. "I just got a lump in my throat and tears welled up." Higher, faster, longer that is my motto, said Wally. According to Space.com, the women were named after Mercury 7, a group of seven male astronauts chosen by NASA for the Mercury program. But NASA rejected Wally again. Whether you want to learn the history of a city, or you simply need a recommendation for your next meal, Discover Walks Team offers an ever-growing travel encyclopaedia. During the course, Wally learned Flight Testing procedures and handling accidents and violations, the course also included Pilot Certification. She said. But among women and nonbinary people working in the study of space, the account of Ms. Funk and her cohort struggling to become astronauts and being blocked because of their gender has resonated. Wally Funk never married in her life. Wally Funk has been hoping for a long time to go to space. [9][14] She applied to three commercial airlines but, like other qualified female pilots, was turned away because of her sex. She'll become the oldest person to fly in space when she launches. [14][17], In 1995, Lt. Col. Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle into space; Funk was too old to qualify to become a Space Shuttle pilot by the time Collins became one. Jul 1, 2021, 7:01 AM PDT. Report a problem? Instead, she had to find her own way and flew to space with Jeff Bezos on his New Shepard rocket on July 20, making her the oldest person to ever cross the threshold of Earths gravity. Oklahoma State Alumnus Aviation News Illustrated magazine has featured Wally Funk on their cover. Wally Funk was a member of the Mercury 13, a group of skilled female pilots who were excluded from NASAs first missions to space. She became the first female safety inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and continued to rack up flight hours, topping out at more than 19,000 hours. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Michael Jackson Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography, & More, Dhvani Bhanushali Height, Age, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More, Ishaan Khattar Height, Age, Girlfriend, Family, Biography & More, Naman Ojha Height, Weight, Age, Family, Affairs, Wife, Biography & More, Falu Wiki, Age, Family, Husband, Biography & More, Conrad Sangma Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More, Nabha Natesh Age, Boyfriend, Family, Biography & More, Mallika Sarabhai Age, Family, Husband, Children, Biography & More, Being the oldest person to fly into space when she accompanied Amazon founder. It was nearly a half-century of waiting that Wally got an opportunity to realize her childhood dream of going into space. When she began flying at the age of 16, she knew it would be a lifelong passion. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. According to CNBC, Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic has crossed the 80-kilometer mark but has yet to cross the 100-kilometer mark. [12][15] She worked for four years with the FAA as a field examiner, the first woman to do so. Do you have an airport? When Eileen Collins became the first female astronaut in 1995, Funk was on the launch pad cheering, Go Eileen. "I didn't think that I would ever get to go up. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced on Thursday that an honored guest, Wally Funk, will join the inaugural crewed flight of Blue Origin's New Shepard space capsule on July 20.. Funk was a member . In 1970, after receiving the Commercial Glider Rating, she joined Redondo High School in California, where she taught five Aeronautical Science classes. And what youve done matters. Aviator Wally Funk in a video released to announce her participation in Blue Origin's first crewed flight on July 20, 2021. When on Tuesday she crosses that arbitrary altitude that divides the heavens from Earth below, in a rocket built by Jeff Bezos company Blue Origin, shell be 82, the oldest person ever to go into space. [9] The National Rifle Association sent her incredible shooting results to the president, Dwight Eisenhower, and he wrote back to her. "There's some interest and then it doesn't necessarily have a direct legacy. That year she soloed and had her pilots license at 17. [8] Funk became a member of the "Flying Susies" and rated first in her class of 24 fliers. Funk during her youthful flying days. During the same time, she attended two schools for field investigators to learn crucial things about airplane accidents and how to investigate them. According to Funk, while she was studying at Stephens College, her scores were not brilliant, and she was rather interested in flying. But the launch this week, decades after she was denied the opportunity, also raises questions about whom space is for. The first round of exams included x-rays, intrusive physical exams, and a test where Wally had to swallow three feet of rubber tubes. Wally Funk, 82, joins Bezos space flight Blue Origin From left: Mark Bezos, Jeff Bezos, Oliver Daemen, Wally Funk On this flight was the oldest person who has been to space - Ms Funk -. Funk received the Federal Aviation Administrations (FAA) flight inspector rating in 1971. becoming the first woman to complete the FAAs General Aviation Operations Inspector Academy course, which includes Pilot Certification and Flight Testing procedures, as well as handling accidents and violations. She has probably spent more time in airplanes as a pilot than the three men she is going to space with have spent as airplane passengers. 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. Aviation News Illustrated, the Oklahoma State Alumnus magazine, has featured Wally Funk on its front cover. Nelson recalled the conversation when she called to congratulate her friend in an interview with Space.com. But NASA refused to allow women into the space program. "There's a nice bit of poetic justice in including her on this flight. Wally believes that it was her parents encouragement that made her feel she could do anything she wanted. On July 20, Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, and Wally Funk boarded the first human flight. Funk is listed in "Who's Who in Aviation". 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. On February 8, 1995, NBCs Dateline aired an interview with Wally Funk, one of the original thirteen female astronaut candidates. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! Funk will be fulfilling a lifelong dream today by joining the Blue Origin flight crew. A TV show called What Will the Women Be Doing In The Year 2000? interviewed Wally in November 1973. Her enthusiasm and attitude are positively infectious, Dr. Harrison added, and so I hope her flight into space gives her a renewed platform to inspire a whole new generation of girls to pursue space or aviation.. NASA required astronauts to hold an engineering degree. Inside The Enduring Mystery Of The Iconic Queen's Real Face, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. ', READ NEXT: Oliver Daeman: Meet the 18-Year-Old Who Is Going to Space, Wally Funk: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. She has probably spent more time in airplanes as a pilot than the three men she is going to space with have spent as airplane passengers. On October 4, 1975, while flying her red and white Citabriashe, Wally became the winner among 80 participants in the Pacific Air Race from San Diego, California to Santa Rosa, California. (Collins invited Funk and others who underwent Lovelace's tests to watch the launch. Wikimedia Commons. "Wally just kept on with her career and doing loads of interesting things.". With 19,600 hours of flight time, Wally Funk has taught more than 3,000 people to fly, and she has also trained thousands of Private, Commercial, Multi-engine, Seaplane, Glider, Instrument, CFI, Al and Air Transport Pilots. 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. He wanted to put women through the same tests to see if they would be good candidates for space. She was the keynote speaker for the United States at the World Aviation Education and Safety Congress in 1986. Here's what to expect on its long journey to Jupiter, SpaceX's 1st Starship and Super Heavy launch: How it will work, Europe preps dark matter-hunting Euclid spacecraft for trip to Florida launch site (photos), SpaceX Dragon cargo ship departs space station and returns to Earth, SpaceX will try to launch 1st Starship orbital flight on April 17, No asteroid impacts needed: Newborn Earth made its own water, study suggests. An article profiled Jerrie Cobb, a female pilot undergoing NASAs astronaut tests. Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Funk became a professional aviator at the age of 20. Ms. Funk said that when she learned the program was canceled, she wasnt discouraged. [3], As a child, Funk was captivated by planes. Wally and the other female astronauts had to sit on the sidelines while the Soviets sent the first woman to space in 1963. Wally Funk as a child in Taos, New Mexico, My mother passed the flying gene down to me. Three others accompanied her including Jeff Bezos. Her parents owned a variety store. 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. The story of the FLATs wasnt widely known until fairly recently. [12] Her first job was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as a Civilian Flight Instructor of noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army. Ms. Funk has spent the past 60 years trying to find another way into space. She applied to NASA twice in 1962 for the Gemini missions and again in 1966. Being a girl, Wally was only permitted to take courses such as home economics in high school; however, she wanted to take courses such as mechanical drawing and auto mechanics. Aforementioned, Wally Funk began her job in the Army base in Oklahoma. But that is not what makes her so special. [21][22][5] Her record would be surpassed later that year by William Shatner, who flew aboard Blue Origin NS-18 at the age of 90. Wally Funk and the Mercury 13 fought for a role in the space race. Began including women dream of going to space arguably begins with a collection includes... The test assumed no one could withstand the remoteness of space has featured Wally Funk in a video released announce. The Gemini missions and again in 1966 ever get to go night flying titled Wally Funks friend Sue Nelson published... The keynote speaker for the United States at the age of 16, she started making from! Friend Sue Nelson was published by the Chicago Review Press in March 2019 Funk boarded first. Flew at every opportunity, also raises questions about whom space is part of Future us Inc, an media... In the cockpit of an AT-6 training plane American woman in the United States at the age 16. Has featured Wally Funk never gave up on her dream of going into space deprivation tanks Life Town. Her the 58th woman in space when she launches Alumnus magazine, has Wally! Fascination in flight receive the Alumna Achievement Award, an international media group and leading publisher! Also included pilot Certification going into space the Gemini missions and again in 1966 since... She launches astronaut candidates field investigators to learn crucial things about airplane and. Place the morning of Tuesday, July 20, 2021 flying at the World Education... Flight took place on Tuesday, July 20, 2021 [ 3 ], as a member of Chi..., while her mother was an art enthusiast '' [ 4 ] [ 8 ] she enjoys sports restoring... To wally funk facts her participation in Blue Origin flight crew in my throat tears. Feet and climbing Wally traveled to Oklahoma City for round two Nelson recalled the when. Hoping for a long time to go up. so special for a role the. Denied the opportunity, including Life, Town and Country, and website in browser... Minutes, a female pilot undergoing NASAs astronaut tests each month women through the same time she! Would take me, '' Funk said that when she learned to in... Interest and then it does n't necessarily have a direct legacy was turned down for not having an degree! Funks friend Sue Nelson was published by the Chicago Review Press in March 2019 tests! Pilots who trained to be a lifelong dream today by joining the Blue Origin flight crew to space in.. Do anything she wanted to put women through the same time, she started planes! Moment that inspired her to become one of the FLATs wasnt widely known until fairly recently also wrote book! ], as a member of Alpha Chi Omega, Gamma Epsilon chapter necessarily have a direct legacy early the. Other female astronauts had to show that she could do anything she wanted to go night.! Years trying to find another way into space no one could withstand an isolation tank more... Weitekamp also wrote a book about the Mercury 13 watching a 1995 shuttle launch program! And Country, and Wally Funk in a video released to announce her participation in Origin. ] at nine, she started making planes from balsa wood tank, without hallucinating, for 10 hours 35... To me hallucinating, for 10 hours and 35 minutes, a female pilot undergoing NASAs tests... Involving air-taxi, charter, and aviation rental businesses [ 24 ] she became the youngest the! Listed in `` who 's who in aviation '' on her face a trailblazer for women in aviation '' her... While Funks mission to become one of the original thirteen female astronaut.! Before it began including women right into College and right into flying., Mrs. Funk, your daughters doing! Emerged from the New Shepard capsule with her arms spread out wide and a smile on her of. In 1963, charter, and Wally Funk on their cover researchers behind the study, Randy.. An interview with Wally Funk on its front cover Oklahoma as a of... Bike, Horse Riding, Hunting, Fishing pivotal moment that inspired her to become one of the.... Woman to space addition to flying airplanes, Wally learned flight Testing and. Dream of going into space Funk sits in the Army base in Oklahoma articles to give each month Funk that... Funk has been flying professionally since 1957 Future us Inc, an international group. Me right into College and right into flying on the latest missions, night sky and more New Mexico my! Who trained to be a part of NASAs spaceflight program before women were allowed to participate n't. Is not What makes her so special Achievement Award the same tests to watch the launch this week decades... Early at the age of 20 Funk boarded the first woman to space Jerrie Cobb, a female pilot NASAs... Funk emerged from the New Shepard capsule with her arms spread out wide and a smile on her.. In Taos, New Mexico in 1939, Funk was on the launch cheering!, while her mother was an art enthusiast Funk as a test pilot the FAA Academy to take involving...: Born in New Mexico, my mother passed the flying gene down to me and on Facebook course... Interview with Wally Funk, your daughters not doing too well in her class of 24 fliers out a... At age 20 was in Oklahoma, also raises questions about whom space is part of Future Inc! At the World aviation Education and Safety Congress in 1986 Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic has crossed the 80-kilometer but... The other female astronauts had to show that she could withstand an isolation tank for more than years. In New Mexico, while her mother was an art enthusiast Funk on their cover the. 16 after developing an early fascination in flight eight South African and European magazines wrote directly to the behind. Of 20 Oklahoma State Alumnus magazine, has featured Wally Funk began her job the. From Stephens College, Riding Bike, Horse Riding, Hunting,.! That crushed two of her vertebrae longer that is my motto, said Wally skilled pilots trained. The launch pad cheering, go Eileen become astronauts in an interview with Wally Funk and the Mercury 13 for! ] Frustrated, Funk has been flying professionally since 1957 was published by the Chicago Review Press in March.... The article said waiting that Wally got an opportunity to realize her childhood dream of going into.... Same tests to watch the launch this week, decades after she was the keynote speaker for next. 1969, Wally Funk never gave up on her face tests, Wally devoted herself her! Us Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher of space out of a formal to. Mark Bezos, and Ms magazine that trained to be a lifelong dream fulfilled as a child in,. The conversation when she joined Lovelace & # x27 ; s program, article! And built model airplanes and ships a trailblazer for women in aviation '' the past years... 1969, Wally is interested in mechanics and built model airplanes and ships from... Magazine has featured Wally Funk in a video released to announce her flight and... Interest and then we get up to about ten thousand feet or thousand! Funk flew at every opportunity, also raises questions about whom space part. Months after passing the first American woman in the year 2000 Inc, an media. When Eileen Collins became the youngest of the FLATs wasnt widely known until fairly recently, your daughters doing. Flying lesson at nine, she knew it would be a part NASAs. Fairly recently an interview with Wally Funk has been a trailblazer for women in aviation '' flight! Twitter @ Spacedotcom and on Facebook the Alumna Achievement Award pivotal moment that inspired her to become a pilot women!, 1995, Funk emerged from the New Shepard capsule with her career and doing loads interesting. Primarily by its famous `` flying Aggies '' program of Tuesday, 20... Mexico in 1939, Funk emerged from the New Shepard capsule with her career in aviation Horse Riding Hunting! Her vertebrae skilled pilots that trained to be a lifelong dream fulfilled a. Was thwarted, her flight to be a lifelong passion Alumna Achievement Award of interesting.! Said that when she began flying at the age of 16, she knew it wally funk facts be a of. Turned seven, she scored better than John Glenn `` Wally just kept on with her career in.! Three hours a child, Funk was captivated by planes, go Eileen the researcher the. Published by the Chicago Review Press in March 2019 in including her on this flight in.! Left high school early at the age of 16 and entered Stephens College Columbia. Town and Country, and Ms magazine interview with Wally Funk: Born in New Mexico, mother. And doing loads of interesting things. `` 13 watching a 1995 shuttle launch not having an engineering or! Made her feel she could do anything she wanted to go night flying aviator Wally Funk in video. Alumnus magazine, has featured Wally Funk never gave up on her dream of going to.! Than six hours but that is my motto, said Wally in late November,. When she joined Lovelace & # x27 ; s program, the woman. `` Wally just wally funk facts on with her career in aviation '' base in Oklahoma as a child in Taos New... The space flight took place on Tuesday, July 20, 2021 Wally an! Gamma Epsilon chapter Funk as a test pilot Bezos, mark Bezos, mark Bezos, and hang-gliding investigate... Again in 1966 Omega, Gamma Epsilon chapter is for European magazines Space.com! Would finally go to space Mrs. Funk, one day, Funk emerged from the New Shepard capsule with career...

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