The Mary Wallace ‘Wally’ Funk not only pioneers in air traffic, but the first woman to investigate air safety in Fort Sill, Oklahoma and the first woman to be the Federal Air Air Agency’s female inspector. On Blue Origin’s first human voyage to the edge of space on a New Shepard spacecraft, Jeff Bezos said today she will join him. For a video and more information, read more.
Wally Funk was also a member of the Mercury 13, a “Women in Space” program that tested her rigorously. In one of those studies, volunteers were put into sensory deprivation tanks, and Funk was able to last for 10 or 35 hours, without hallucination. She completed her flying colour tests and was qualified to enter space, which was even higher than the testing by John Glenn. The program was unfortunately canceled prior to the women’s last test.