Credit: Pixabay/CC0 public domainWally Funk, a US pilot, will finally realize her dream at the age of 82 after she joined a private program in hopes of becoming an astronaut.Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, a billionaire, invited her to join him at Blue Origin's launch on July 20, 2017.She will be the oldest person to fly in space and a living symbol of the benefits of courage and perseverance.In a video shared on Instagram by Bezos, she stated that "I like doing things that nobody has ever done."Mercury 13Funk was born in Taos (New Mexico) and grew up in western America. Funk was a passionate student of aviation as a child and she took her first flight lesson at the age of nine. She was forbidden from studying mechanics in high school because it is a subject that is reserved for boys.These rules didn't stop her from getting a pilot's licence and graduating from Oklahoma State University. Oklahoma State University is known for its aviation program. She has flown 19,600 hours.She joined Mercury 13, a private, innovative flight program that was funded by the private sector. It allowed women to undergo the same training as male astronauts.William Randolph Lovelace was a doctor who developed the tests. He allowed women to test them in his private clinic so that they could see if they were successful.The Mercury 13 was formed by the 13 women, Funk being the youngest.In a 1999 interview with NASA, she stated that "they were testing us to the extremes."To induce dizziness, water was injected into her ears. To induce dizziness, she had to inhale rubber tubes.It was only going to take me one step closer towards space and that is exactly where I wanted it to be.Funk was placed in a darkened tank that had perfect sound insulation and was filled with water at her body temperature. This allowed Funk to feel every sensation.She says, "I was floating on my back in water. I couldn't use my five senses (...) so I had to lie down."The record was broken by her staying in the house for 10 hours, 35 minutes."They told me that I had done it better and faster than any other men," she said during Thursday's video statement.NASA rejected the NASA program and it was scrapped. The first American woman to go into space was not until 1983."It was interesting to see that they wouldn't allow us to do it. It was done by a dog. It was done by a monkey. It was done by a man. She said that women can do it as well in 1999.Space dreamsWally Funk applied for NASA astronaut status on four occasions. Each time, she was turned down.One reason was that she didn't have an engineering degree, and hadn't completed the flight training on a military fighter plane-an impossible request for a woman at that time.Funk was never afraid to dream: Funk became the first female inspector at the American aviation agency, The FAA, and then she became the first woman investigator at the American agency responsible for aeronautical catastrophes (NTSB).By her retirement in 1984, she had handled more than 450 accidents and taught over 3,000 people how to fly.She never gave up on her dream of flying with the stars and leaving gravity behind.Funk answered a question about 1999's greatest achievement: "If it takes me to space, that will be my greatest accomplishment."Learn more about Jeff Bezos's selections for female aerospace pioneers to launch with him2021 AFP
