Wally Funk, history-maker Aviator and astronaut Wally Funk speaking at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in 2022. A year earlier, Funk had become the oldest woman to go to space. (more) Wally Funk Oldest woman to go to space Also known as: Mary Wallace Funk Written by Adam Volle Adam Volle is a freelance writer and editor based in Atlanta, Georgia. Adam Volle Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated June 3, 2026 •History By the time she was seven years old, Wally Funk was making airplanes out of balsa wood; she had her first flying lesson when she was nine, and when she was in her teens she earned her pilot’s license. What she really wanted to do was be an astronaut, but because of NASA policies that discriminated against women, she had to wait six decades to fulfill that dream. In 2021, at the age of 82,...

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