Wally Funk Interviewed by Carol Butler Cocoa Beach, Florida - 18 July 1999 Butler: Today is July 18, 1999. At takeoff, Ill be sitting way back in my seat, and Ill see things going by me, Wally explained. Sue Nelson, a science journalist who traveled with Funk, called her to congratulate her on her flight, Nelson told Space.com. When Wally turned nine, she had her first flying lesson, when a pilot helped her steer a plane, and while praising Wallys skills, he told her parents that shed done a great job. You get her out there and start her flying.. Jul 1, 2021, 7:01 AM PDT. 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. Funk was in the tank, without hallucinating, for 10 hours and 35 minutes, a record. Wally Funk. According to Wally, her fascination for flying was so intense that she compromised with her formal studies and was never excellent at studies. In an interview, she revealed that it was her parents encouragement that made her a confident girl. NASASeven members of the Mercury 13 watching a 1995 shuttle launch. The family had a collection of artwork from artists at the Taos art colony, as the artists would trade artwork to pay off their debt at the store. She was the first woman to work as a field examiner for the FAA for four years. Her mother declared, Shes going to fly.. Wally talked about this in an interview. According to Funk, since childhood, she was an adventure enthusiast who loved outdoor activities. Discover Walks contributors speak from all corners of the world - from Prague to Bangkok, Barcelona to Nairobi. In all, she has logged over 19,600 flying hours and taught more than 3,000 people to fly. Wally says. In an interview, while talking about this, she said that once her adviser called up her mother and said. She said, My mother passed the flying gene down to me. By age 17, she already had a history of greeting you cant with defiant proof that she could. 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. She said. Oklahoma State Alumnus Aviation News Illustrated magazine has featured Wally Funk on their cover. Her childhood hero was Amelia Earheart, she told the publication. Mary Wallace Funk (born February 1, 1939) is an American aviator, commercial astronaut,[1][2] and Goodwill Ambassador. Wally also continued to work as a flight instructor, training hundreds of people to operate planes. In 1975, Wally Funk was named Honorary Colonel by the Governor of Louisiana. In the 1960s, Wally Funk was alsolisted in Whos Who in Young Women in America and Whos Who in Aviation.. She will join the youngest person in space, Oliver Daemon, 18. For Nelson, seeing Bezos' announcement was a poignant moment. In 1969, Wally Funk was featured in eight South African and European magazines. American aviator and Mercury 13 astronaut (born 1939), "First on CNN: The US gives Bezos, Branson and Shatner their astronaut wings", "FAA Commercial Human Spaceflight Recognition", "Woman in Space: The Long-Delayed Flight of Wally Funk", "Blue Origin launches Bezos on first crewed New Shepard flight", "Longtime friend of Wally Funk recalls trailblazer's dream of space flight", "Wally Funk: the woman cheated out of space by gender politics", "Advancing Women Pilots | Women Pilots Today | Wally Funk", "Female aviation pioneer to share her fervor for flight at Stephens College", "Wally Funk: still ready for space travel", "Her Dream of Spaceflight: Female Aviation Pioneer Wally Funk Has A Ticket and Awaits a Ride to Space", Best Day Ever: Highlights From Bezos and Blue Origin Crews Short Flight to Space, "Book Review: Higher Faster Longer - National Space Society", "Wally Funk will fly to space on New Shepard's first human flight", "Jeff Bezos Has Picked an Unusual Space Crew", "Trailblazing Pilot Wally Funk Will Go to Space 60 Years After Passing Her Astronaut Tests", "William Shatner, TV's Capt. 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.. 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. These individual stories and victories are important, but they are not justice, Dr. Walkowicz added. But NASA rejected Wally again. Ive waited a lifetime, honey, Nelson told Space.com. But, flying was my thing. 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. Funk was a skilled outdoorswoman who enjoyed riding her bike or horse, skiing, hunting, and fishing. Selection of space crew based on whim and money rather than based on selections by governmental agencies is a shift Im still struggling with, Dr. Mack said. At the age of 82, Funk, whose full name is Mary Wallace Funk, was invited to join the crew of the New Shepards first manned space flight. Blue Origin, the company founded by Jeff Bezos, the worlds richest man and Amazons CEO in 2000, has been testing flights of its New Shepard rocket for years, according to CNBC. 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.. She passed her tests and was qualified to go into space. Seven of the pioneering Mercury 13, including Wally Funk (second left). Aviation News Illustrated, the Oklahoma State Alumnus magazine, has featured Wally Funk on its front cover. He will join Jeff Bezos, Mark Bezos, and Wally Funk aboard the first human flight on July 20. In minutes, the New Shepard passed the 62-mile threshold that is considered the edge of space, before safely touching back down. In 1971, when Wally finished the FAA General Aviation Operations Inspector Academy course, she became the first woman in the United States to do so. As she was recovering, a guidance counselor suggested that she take aviation classes to distract her. Have a great ride, Wally Funk! The article gave detail about the achievements of aviator Geraldyn Jerrie Cobb, who had just undergone a series of terrifying endurance tests for potential astronauts and completed it successfully. Wally Funk has really never given up on her dream of spaceflight, Margaret Weitekamp, curator of the Smithsonians National Air and Space Museums space history department, told Space.com. Including her on this flight is a nice bit of poetic justice.. Funk received her Airline Transport Rating in 1968, making her the 58th woman in the United States to do so. Among the 13 FLATs, only Ms. Funk and Gene Nora Jessen are still alive. If not today, then in a couple of months.. While Funk was thwarted from her mission of becoming one of the first female astronauts in space, she will still make history with her flight. 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. She says. The article entitled A Lady Proves Shes Fit for Space Flight, which was published on August 29, 1960, described a series of terrifying endurance tests that aviator Geraldyn Jerrie Cobb had just successfully completed; these tests were designed to test the aspiring astronauts. Awards and honors According to sources, Elon Musks flight promises to reach a height of 300 km above the earth, which would last about three to four days from take-off to landing. Powered by. In the fall of 1961, Wally worked as a Certified Flight Instructor, Charter, and Chief Pilot at an aviation company in Hawthorne, California. Funk was elected as an officer of the "Flying Aggies" and flew for them in the International Collegiate Air Meets. Space is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Funk told The Guardian she never married, saying she is married to airplanes. She said in the interview that she carried no resentment over being grounded from spaceflight. In the same year, Wally was interviewed on the Mike Douglas Television Show. In the fall of 1975, Wally Funks interview was aired on Salute of Women In Aviation, a Gene Burkes television program. NY 10036. In an interview, Wally talked about this. As a baby, Wally Funk grabbed a Douglas DC-3 airliner by the wheel. Awards and honors [ edit] In 1964, Funk became the youngest woman in the history of Stephens College to receive the Alumna Achievement Award, honored in recognition for her work in aviation. Carl Iwasaki/Getty ImagesIn 1961, Wally Funk underwent multiple tests of her physical fitness to prove that women could be astronauts. More than half a century later, Wally Funk hasn't given up and at the age of 82, she'll be joining the crew on the New Shepard rocket, which will be launching on July 20th, 2021. Funk is listed in "Who's Who in Aviation". To support our blog and writers we put affiliate links and advertising on our page. Wally Funk has been a trailblazer for women in aviation and spaceflight since 1960. But where the agency was focused on reaching milestones in space exploration, Lovelace had a bigger picture in mind, an ideal pulled from science fiction of whole offices lofted from 1950s America into orbit. [3] The media dubbed the group the "Mercury 13", a reference to the Mercury 7. After attending a school in New Mexico, Wally Funk, at the age of 16, went to Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where she graduated with an Associate of Arts degree and her pilots license in 1958.; she was rated first in her class of 24 flyers. Wallys parents had brought their one-year-old to an airport in New Mexico. They became known as the Mercury 13. She wrote directly to the researcher behind the study, Randy Lovelace. NASA required astronauts to hold an engineering degree. In an interview, she talked about her mother who also desired to fly as a young girl, and how her maternal grandfather doubted her mothers dreams. [12] Her first job was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as a Civilian Flight Instructor of noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army. In 2022, Funk was awarded the R.A."Bob" Hoover trophy by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. When NASA finally began accepting women in the late 1970s, Funk applied three times. Wally Funks contributions to the aviation and space sectors have been acknowledged in several books and films such as Martha Ackmanns 2003 history The Mercury 13: The True Story of Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight and the Netflix documentary Mercury 13. 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. 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. "I didn't think that I would ever get to go up. And I honor you, is what Dr. Coleman thinks Mr. Bezos is saying. On August 29, 1960, after getting inspired by an article A Lady Proves Shes Fit for Space Flight, published in Life magazine, Wally decided to go into space. . "I just got a lump in my throat and tears welled up." Fighting for access to space. We may all come from different walks of life but we have one common passion - learning through travel. The tests had been designed by Dr. Lovelace for the Mercury astronauts. [4] Twenty-five women were invited, nineteen enrolled, and thirteen graduated, including Funk, who at 21 was the youngest. Wally Funk is one of the Mercury 13, a group of women who trained to be astronauts in the early 1960s. Wally FunkWally Funk next to a glide plane, c. 1960. 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. Various magazines have featured Wally Funk, including Life, Town and Country, and Ms Magazine. At age 82, Wally Funk's energy is infectious and her perseverance is impressive. Never miss an eclipse, a meteor shower, a rocket launch or any other astronomical and space event that's out of this world. [10] Frustrated, Funk left high school early at the age of 16 and entered Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). According to Wally, while she was growing up, her parents never discouraged her outdoor adventures, and they always supported her outdoor ventures. In 1964, Funk became the youngest woman in the history of Stephens College to receive the Alumna Achievement Award, honored in recognition for her work in aviation. This page was last edited on 5 April 2023, at 03:27. Across the board, the women who passed that initial round of testing did as well or better than their male counterparts, and of that group, Ms. Funk excelled. [12], After the Mercury 13 program was canceled, Funk became a Goodwill Ambassador. Hes the one who gets Ms. Funk into space. 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. Although all 13 participants of Mercury 13 proved that they could endure extreme physical conditions, the program was shelved on the pretext that sending women into space was against the natural order, after its private funding was pulled and several prominent NASA figures lobbied against sending women astronauts into space. I wasnt a bra burner, Im not a political person, Funk told The Guardian. [4], Funk was also an accomplished outdoorswoman, spending time riding her bike or her horse, skiing, hunting, and fishing. She is extremely driven and competitive, which is typical of an early astronaut, test pilot type she fits the mold of those early astronauts.. Soon after writing letters to Cobb and Dr. William Randolph Lovelace, Wally was called to Albuquerque to participate in the Woman in Space Program. After graduation, Funk became the only female aviation instructor at a U.S. military base. She had her first flight lesson at age nine, became a licensed pilot at 17 and has logged more than 19,000 flying hours. Thats where she entered the isolation tank. 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.. Wally Funk, a trailblazing female pilot denied the job of astronaut in the 1960s over her gender, will finally get the chance to fulfill her dreams of going into space. Wally Funk was a member of the Mercury 13, a group of skilled female pilots who were excluded from NASA's first missions to space. Her father owned a five-and-ten store in Taos, New Mexico, while her mother was an art enthusiast. [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. That year she soloed and had her pilots license at 17. Wally says. The first round of exams included x-rays, intrusive physical exams, and a test where Wally had to swallow three feet of rubber tubes. Ms. Funk was in the tank for over 10 hours when the researchers finally brought her out because they wanted to go home. Meghan is a senior writer at Space.com and has more than five years' experience as a science journalist based in New York City. Kirk, blasts into space", "Five things to know about Grapevine's Wally Funk, who will fly into space with Jeff Bezos on Tuesday", "Wally Funk Receives Bob Hoover Trophy - AVweb", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wally_Funk&oldid=1148268869, Federal Aviation Administration personnel, People who have flown in suborbital spaceflight, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2021, Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2019, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles lacking reliable references from April 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, First female FAA and NTSB inspector; one of the. In 1959, the Mercury 7 was chosen. In 1965, Wally Funk was declared one of the Outstanding Young Women in America. 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. I did what I had to do to fly., When I was sent to Stephens College aviation program, I hadnt even graduated from High School yet. Wally Funk, 82, will be the oldest person ever to travel to space on Tuesday, in Jeff Bezos' rocket. At 18-years-old and 82-years-young, Oliver Daemen and Wally Funk represent the youngest and oldest astronauts to travel to space.. But Funk laid the groundwork for this flight during a brief period six decades ago, when she became one of the group that was, decades later, dubbed the Mercury 13 and is often misleadingly portrayed as a sort of women's counterpart for NASA's first group of astronauts, although the agency never endorsed their efforts and only began recruiting women for spaceflight in 1978. Wally was interviewed on Gene Burkes television program Salute of Women in Aviation in the fall of 1975. The money for the flight came from Funk's own book and film royalties and family money. Wally Funk showing her biography Wally Funks Race for Space by Sue Nelson. But that is not what makes her so special. Funk and the others were skilled pilots who,. On June 23, 1975, Wally Funk attended a luncheon at the White House in Washington, D.C.; she joined the luncheon at the request of Mrs. Gerald Ford. ), "Like so many things that we see in women's history, the advancement happens in fits and starts," Weitekamp said. Funk told The Guardian in 2002 she learned to fly at 16 after developing an early fascination in flight. Seeing her finally get to go into space decades after proving that she was not only capable, but perhaps more capable than the men she was essentially up against during the Mercury program is so incredible, said Tanya Harrison, a planetary scientist and director of science strategy at Planet Labs. Email us at [emailprotected]. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. I did what I had to do to fly., The air and how pretty it was, and how the ground looked. She said. But they were never included in NASA's vision for spaceflight and never became astronauts until now. In. [3]Huck Magazine jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_5273_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_5273_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); Wally talked about this in an interview. [6] She is also the only one of the thirteen to have traveled to space. 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. Wally Funk was the only female one at a US military base when, aged 21, she joined Fort Sill, Oklahoma as a Civilian Flight Instructor. In 1973, when Wally was promoted as a specialist to FAA SWAP (Systems Worthiness Analysis Program), she became the first woman in the United States to hold this position. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Funk will also be the oldest person in space, according to Blue Origins press statement. Wally Funk broke the record she floated, alone, for 10 hours and 35 minutes. NASA did not admit women to its astronaut training program until 1978. Despite this, the program was canceled before the women were to undergo their last test. In addition to scholarly publications with top presses, she has written for Atlas Obscura and Ranker. [2]Ninety-Nines jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_5273_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_5273_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); When Wally joined Stephens College, she hadnt even graduated from High School. [10] Picture Courtesy of Tech. [3], Concurrently, Funk participated in many air races. [9], In February 1961, Funk volunteered for the "Women in Space" Program. Wally Funk as a child in Taos, New Mexico. And when she tried to enroll in an engineering program, Wally was told, Youre a girl go to home ec.. Funk was one of 13 women who came to be known as the Mercury 13. And shortly before 9:15 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday, July 20, 2021, Wally Funk departed from the Earth in West Texas. "She said, 'I've waited a lifetime, honey,' and then she said, 'I'm going up for all of us.'". Her first job at age 20 was in Oklahoma as a civilian flight instructor for U.S. Army officers. Her first job was as a Civilian Flight Instructor for noncommissioned and commissioned officers of the United States Army at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. [citation needed], Funk continued to dream of going to space. By contrast, when the astronaut John Glenn was selected for the Mercury program, he also did not have an engineering degree. She said, Ive waited a lifetime, honey,' Nelson told Space.com. 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. [23], Funk currently lives in Grapevine, Texas. In 1968, Wally Funk earned Airline Transport Rating, becoming the 58th woman in the United States to do so. When Amazon founder Jeff Bezos offered her a seat on the first crewed flight of his space tourism enterprise Blue Origin, it was an invitation aviator Wally Funk had waited six decades to receive. Mary Wallace Wally Funk [1]Los Angeles Times jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_5273_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_5273_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], }); was born on Wednesday, February 1, 1939 (age 82 years; as of 2021), in Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States. After graduating from Stephens College, she attended Oklahoma State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education. Wally flew for Oklahoma State University in the International Collegiate Air Meets as an officer of the famous Flying Aggies.. Future space tourists led by Wally Funk (R), who have paid their deposits on the $200,000.00 fare, celebrate before the Virgin Galactic VSS Enterprise spacecraft makes it's first public landing during the Spaceport America runway dedication ceremony near Las Cruces, New Mexico on October 22, 2010. 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. I can go out there and do anything.. The six-hour mark passed and Wally continued to float peacefully. 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. So instead, Wally devoted herself to her career in aviation. When Blue Origins New Shepard rocket launched from remote West Texas on July 20, 2021, 82-year-old Wally Funk became the oldest passenger to travel into space. [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. While working at the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, DC., Wally Funk attended two schools for field investigators to learn the many elements contributing to airplane accidents and how to investigate them. Those tests were developed for NASA by a team led by William Randolph Lovelace and were designed to identify any weaknesses that might identify hidden health issues before flight. Funk, age 82, is one of a dozen women who have come to be known as the Mercury 13 in pointed contrast to NASA's original astronauts, the Mercury 7. NASAJerrie Cobb poses next to a Mercury space capsule. '"[4][8] She became interested in mechanics and built model airplanes and ships. Funk will be fulfilling a lifelong dream today by joining the Blue Origin flight crew. Wally Funk Is Defying Gravity and 60 Years of Exclusion From Space, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/19/science/wally-funk-jeff-bezos.html. The aviation pioneer was once denied a chance to become an astronaut because of her gender. Wally Funk in an undated photo provided by Blue Origin. Picture Courtesy of Sgt Jack Pritchard RAF Wikimedia Commons. Despite being younger than the recruiting age range of 2540, Funk was invited to take part. "Mother said: 'Shes going to fly. The 22-year old had to show that she could withstand the remoteness of space. Wally Funk pictured at a ceremony in Las Cruces, New Mexico for the first landing of the Virgin Galactic VSS Enterprise, October 22, 2010. [3], As a child, Funk was captivated by planes. The Flight of Wally Funk is a 2001 album by Australian rock band Spiderbait. On February 8, 1995, NBCs Dateline aired an interview with Wally Funk, one of the original thirteen female astronaut candidates. "The 13 of the 25 who became the finalists on average did as well or in some cases better than the Mercury 7 astronauts did," Weitekamp said. This is Carol Butler, and I'm doing an oral history for the NASA History Office, with Wally Funk, retired NTSB [National Transportation Safety Board] investigator, senior flight instructor, chief pilot, wonderful woman of aerospace. But when she applied to become a commercial pilot at both TWA and Continental, she told The Guardian she was rejected, saying they couldnt hire her because they didnt have a ladies bathroom at the training facility.. "There's some interest and then it doesn't necessarily have a direct legacy. In 1961, Wally Funk underwent multiple tests of her physical fitness to prove that women could be astronauts. None of those women have gone into space. Wally was so inspired by Cobbs achievements that she wrote letters to Cobb and Dr. William Randolph Lovelace; Dr. William was the one who devised the trials. At Wallys residence in Grapevine, theres a corner dedicated to her collection of space and aviation memorabilia that shes accumulated over the years. 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