Wally Funk fulfils her dream of going to space

Wally Funk is a member of the First Lady Astronaut Trainees also known as the “Mercury 13”. At the age of 82, she was able to realize her dream of going to space as part of the @BlueOrigin #NewShepard crew. After six decades, Wally Funk took a part in US government testing to become an astronaut, a program the government abandoned in 1962. She underwent psychological screenings and rigorous physical testing with a view to taking part in Nasa’s early space efforts.

Funk was one of four people onboard, including ex-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark Bezos. “I’ve been waiting a long time to finally get up there, and I’ve done a lot of astronaut training through the world – Russia, America – and I could always beat the guys on what they were doing because I was always stronger and I’ve always done everything on my own,” Funk said at a news conference after the flight.

After the disappointment of the early 1960s, Funk went on to become an instructor and she had taught more than 3,000 people to fly. She also thanked Bezos for inviting her on his first Blue Origin flight, and said it capped a career in aviation. After her arrival from space, she very very happy and confident.

“I felt so charged… I was not nervous. I was just a normal, normal person going up into space and that’s what I wanted to feel,” Funk said.

Congratulations, Wally! https://go.nasa.gov/3zgskDa