Wally Funk, aviator and astronaut, dies aged 87

Wally Funk, a pioneering aviator who became the oldest woman in space in 2021, has died aged 87.

• Wally Funk earned her pilot's license as a teenager and became the US military's first female flight instructor at age 20.
• In 1961, she was part of the Mercury 13 program, undergoing the same testing as the male Mercury astronauts.
• In 1971, she became the Federal Aviation Administration's first female flight inspector.
• In 2021, she flew on Blue Origin's New Shepard, becoming the oldest person to fly to space at age 82.