Wally Funk facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wally Funk
Wally Funk in 2012
Born	(1939-02-01) February 1, 1939 (age 86) Las Vegas, New Mexico, U.S.
Alma mater	Stephens College Oklahoma State University
Known for	First female FAA and NTSB inspector; one of the Mercury 13; oldest woman to fly in space
Space career
Commercial Astronaut
Missions	NS-16

Mary Wallace "Wally" Funk (born February 1, 1939) is an amazing American aviator and commercial astronaut. She is also a Goodwill Ambassador. Wally Funk has broken many barriers for women in aviation.

She was the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. She was also the first female civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Plus, she was the first female Federal Aviation Administration inspector. Wally Funk was also one of the brave women known as the Mercury 13.

On July 20, 2021, Wally Funk became the oldest person to travel to space. She was 82 years old! She flew on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft. This flight was a short trip into space and back, called a suborbital spaceflight. She broke a record that John Glenn had held for 23 years. Later that year, William Shatner flew to space at age 90. He then became the oldest person in space. But Wally Funk still holds the record as the oldest woman to travel to space.

Wally Funk is the last living member of the Mercury 13 group. She is also the only one of those thirteen women who has actually traveled to space.

Early Life and Love for Flying

Wally Funk was born in Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 1939. She grew up in Taos, New Mexico. Her parents owned a store that sold many different things. Artists from the Taos art colony would sometimes trade their artwork to pay off their bills at the store.

From a very young age, Wally loved planes. When she was just one year old, her parents took her to an airport. She saw a Douglas DC-3, which was an early type of airplane. She tried to turn a nut on the wheel! Her mother said, "She's going to fly." Wally became very interested in how things worked. She built model airplanes and ships. By age seven, she was making planes from balsa wood. When she was nine, she had her first flying lesson.

Wally was also great at outdoor activities. She loved riding her bike or horse, skiing, hunting, and fishing. At 14, she became an expert marksman, which means she was very good at shooting. She even received an award for it. Her amazing shooting results were sent to President Dwight Eisenhower. He wrote a letter back to her! At the same time, she was the top female skier in the southwestern United States.

Education and Becoming a Pilot

When Wally was in high school, she wanted to take classes like mechanical drawing and auto mechanics. But because she was a girl, she was only allowed to take classes like home economics. Feeling frustrated, Wally left high school early at age 16. She then went to Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.

At Stephens College, Wally joined a group called the "Flying Susies." She was the best student in her class of 24 pilots. She earned her pilot's license and an Associate of Arts degree in 1958.

Wally then went on to Oklahoma State University. There, she earned a degree in Secondary Education. She joined the "Flying Aggies" program, which was very famous. At OSU, Wally earned many different aviation certificates. These included licenses to fly commercial planes, multi-engine planes, and even to teach others how to fly. She won several awards for being an outstanding pilot.

Aviation Career and Breaking Barriers

At just 20 years old, Wally Funk became a professional pilot. Her first job was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. She taught flying to soldiers in the United States Army. Wally was the very first female flight instructor at a U.S. military base. In 1961, she became a certified flight instructor and chief pilot for an aviation company in California.

In 1968, Wally earned her Airline Transport Rating. She was only the 58th woman in the U.S. to do so. She tried to get a job with three different airlines. But like other skilled female pilots, she was turned away because she was a woman.

In 1971, Wally became a flight inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). She was the first woman to finish the FAA's special training course. This course taught her how to check pilots and planes, and how to handle accidents. She worked for the FAA for four years as a field examiner, again being the first woman in that role. In 1973, she was promoted to a specialist position, becoming the first woman in the U.S. to hold that job.

In 1974, Wally Funk was hired by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). She became their first female Air Safety Investigator. Wally investigated 450 accidents during her time there.

Wally also loved to compete in air races. She placed well in several races, including the Powder Puff Derby. In 1975, she won the Pacific Air Race in her red and white plane, beating 80 other pilots!

Wally retired from her job as an Air Safety Investigator in 1985. She then became an FAA Safety Counselor. She became well-known for training pilots and speaking about aviation safety. She has been the chief pilot for five different aviation schools. So far, she has taught over 700 students to fly solo. She has also helped 3,000 pilots get various licenses.

Space Dreams and the Mercury 13

The Mercury 13 Program

In February 1961, Wally Funk volunteered for a special "Women in Space" Program. This program was run by William Randolph Lovelace. It was not officially supported by the government. Wally contacted Lovelace and told him about all her flying experience. Even though she was younger than the age limit, she was invited to join. Twenty-five women were invited, and nineteen took part. Thirteen of them finished the tough tests, including Wally Funk. At 21, she was the youngest.

On some tests, Wally even scored better than John Glenn, who was a famous male astronaut. The media called this group the "Mercury 13". This name was a nod to the original Mercury Seven male astronauts.

Like the other women, Wally went through very hard physical and mental tests. In one test, volunteers were put into special tanks that blocked out all senses. Wally stayed in the tank for 10 hours and 35 minutes without seeing or hearing things that weren't there. This was a record! She passed all her tests and was ready to go to space. Her score was the third best in the whole Mercury 13 program. Sadly, the program was stopped before the women could take their last test.

After the Mercury 13 program ended, Wally Funk became a Goodwill Ambassador.

Later Attempts to Reach Space

Wally Funk never gave up her dream of going to space. When NASA finally started accepting women astronauts in the late 1970s, Wally applied three times. Even with her amazing experience, she was turned down. This was because she didn't have an engineering degree or a background as a test pilot.

In 1995, Lt. Col. Eileen Collins became the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle into space. By this time, Wally was too old to become a Space Shuttle pilot herself. Wally and six other members of the Mercury 13 were invited to watch Collins' launch. NASA gave them a special tour of the Kennedy Space Center.

In 2012, Wally paid money to be one of the first people to fly into space with Virgin Galactic. She used money from her book, film earnings, and family savings for this flight.

In July 2020, Wally Funk published her life story in a book. It's called Higher Faster Longer – My Life in Aviation and My Quest for Space Flight.

Historic Space Flight in 2021

On July 1, 2021, Blue Origin announced that Wally Funk would fly on their first New Shepard flight with passengers. There were four people on the flight. These included Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen. Oliver became the youngest person ever in space during that flight on July 20, 2021.

During this successful flight, Wally Funk, at 82 years old, became the oldest person to fly to space. She broke John Glenn's record. His record was set in 1998 when he flew at age 77. Wally's record was later broken by William Shatner. He flew on Blue Origin NS-18 at the age of 90.

Personal Life

Wally Funk lives in Grapevine, Texas. She enjoys sports and fixing up old cars. She owns a 1951 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith.

She has flown for over 18,600 hours! As of 2019, she still flew every Saturday as an instructor.

Awards and Honors

• In 1964, Wally Funk received the Alumna Achievement Award from Stephens College. She was the youngest woman in the college's history to get this award. It honored her work in aviation.
• In 1965, she was chosen as one of the Outstanding Young Women in America. This was for her great skills, achievements, and service to her community and country.
• In 2012, her life story was filmed for the Traveling Space Museum.
• In 2017, Wally Funk's name was put on the Wall of Honor at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. This recognized her important contributions to aviation and space exploration.
• In 2022, Wally Funk received the R.A. "Bob" Hoover trophy. This award is for pilots who show great flying skills, leadership, and love for aviation.
• Also in 2022, the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum gave Wally Funk the Michael Collins Trophy for Lifetime Achievement.
• Wally Funk is listed in "Who's Who in Aviation," which is a list of important people in aviation.

See also

In Spanish: Wally Funk para niños