Wally Funk Will Fly to Space On New Shepard

Fulfilling a lifelong mission to become an astronaut, Wally Funk will fly to space on New Shepard’s first human flight on July 20 as an honored guest. She will join Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, and the auction winner on the flight.

Wally’s journey to space began in the 1960s when she was the youngest graduate of the Woman in Space Program, a privately-funded project which tested female pilots for astronaut fitness. Later known as the “Mercury 13” – thirteen American women successfully underwent the same physiological and psychological screening tests as the astronauts selected by NASA for Project Mercury, but they never flew to space. Wally was the youngest graduate of this program.

Wally Funk has a long history in aviation. She was the first female FAA inspector and first female NTSB air safety investigator. She has accumulated more than 19,600 hours as pilot in command of an aircraft, and has taught more than 3,000 pilots how to fly, according to Women in Aviation International. She was inducted into the WAI Hall of Fame in 1995

The 82-year-old pilot will now be part of the first crew on New Shepard, and the oldest person ever to fly to space.

The winner of the auction for the 4th seat on the flight has not yet been announced. Blue origin conducted an online auction for the slot, and the winning bidder reportedly paid $28 million for the opportunity to participate in the sub-orbital flight. Nearly 7,600 people registered to bid from 159 countries.

The winning bid amount will be donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, whose mission is to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and to help invent the future of life in space.

The first crewed New Shepard flight is currently planned for July 20, 2021.

(Sources: Blue Origin news releases and WAI as cited. Image provided by Blue Origin)