Most of the 13 Female Pilots Who Tested for Space Flight in 1961 Gave Up and Moved On After the U.S. Government Squashed Their Dream. For One Inspiring Soul, Though, the Countdown Continues.

In the 1960s, Wally Funk participated in a project intended to pave the way for female astronauts. It got canceled, but she will soon join the crew of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' suborbital rocket.

Wally Funk took all of the tests to become an astronaut back in the 1960s. She became one at last on July 20, 2021. NASA photo. Share this story.

Ms. Funk’s trip to space with Jeff Bezos is reason to celebrate. But the launch this week, decades after she was denied the opportunity, also raises questions about whom space is for. Wally Funk ...

Wally Funk always wanted to go to space. In 1961, she graduated with high marks from the Mercury 13 program, a private initiative that trained women to be astronauts. Then it was canceled.

Funk had originally trained to be an astronaut in the 1960s but never got a chance to fly. Jeff Bezos’ New Shepard rocket went into space on Tuesday, and 82-year-old Wally Funk carried a ...

In the 1960s, Wally Funk participated in a project intended to pave the way for female astronauts. It got canceled, but she will soon join the crew of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' suborbital rocket.

Wally Funk was among a group of female pilots, known as the "Mercury 13," who in 1961 endured dozens of tests to see how women's bodies would hold up in space. On Tuesday, she joined billionaire ...

Those in attendance can toast the astronaut with her own signature drink being offered at the nearby Sonic -- at Northwest Highway and Main Street -- the Wally Funk Blast.

The voice in mission control called her astronaut Wally. The familiarity was fitting. When she stepped into the automated Blue Origin rocket that would for the first time carry the private company ...

Over 60 years ago, Wally Funk trained for NASA’s Mercury program, but even with her training, she was unable to secure her spot to go into space. Now, at 82-years-old, Funk is getting the chance ...

Over 60 years ago, Wally Funk trained for NASA’s Mercury program, but even with her training, she was unable to secure her spot to go into space. Now, at 82-years-old, Funk is getting the chance ...