NASA failed this female astronaut, now Jeff Bezos is taking her to space
Wally Funk launches into space later this month aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, she will, at 82, be the oldest astronaut ever.But she was nearly the youngest.The New Mexico native was 22 when she joined the Mercury 13 program, a group of intrepid women who, back in 1961, underwent the same training as the Mercury 7, NASA’s all-male crew of original astronauts.The women were never allowed to go into space, and hardly written about. It was a pioneering program lost to history.Sue Nelson, a UK science writer, broadcaster and author of the 2019 book, “Wally Funk’s Race for Space: The Extraordinary Story of a Female Aviation Pioneer” spoke with Funk after her trip plans were made public this week by Bezos.