Her pathway to the stars was not an easy one.
Wally Funk has spent her life among the clouds. She had her first flight lesson at age nine, became a licensed pilot at 17 and has logged more than 19,000 flying hours. But her lifelong dream of going to space eluded her until now. At the age of 82, Funk will be the oldest person to travel to space when she goes up on ‘s New Shepard rocket on Tuesday. Alongside her will be Jeff Bezos, Bezos’ brother, Mark, and an 18-year-old who will become the youngest person ever in space. Funk’s pathway to the stars was not an easy one. In the 1960s, while America’s first astronauts were going through NASA’s rigorous training, Funk was part of the Mercury 13, a group of 13 women who went through the same uncompromising exams.
