Meet Wally Funk! January13th, 2024, Mesa, AZ

Visit the Arizona Aviation Historical Group Website for details on two opportunities to meet Wally Funk, afternoon and evening. Click Here.

Who Is Wally Funk?

Mary Wallace Funk (born February 1, 1939) is an American aviator, commercial astronaut, and Goodwill Ambassador. She was the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, the first female civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the first female Federal Aviation Agency inspector, as well as one of the Mercury 13.

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Wally became the oldest person to go to space on July 20, 2021, at age 82, flying on Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft during its suborbital flight, breaking a record held by John Glenn for 23 years. Wally continues to hold the record for the oldest woman to travel to space.

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Wally is one of the last two surviving members of the Mercury 13 group. She is also the only one of the thirteen to have traveled to space.