Wally Funk Dies

Wally Funk, a barrier-breaking aviation pioneer and space traveler, has died at 87.

Wally Funk, aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87

Wally Funk, oldest woman to travel into space, dead at 87

Wally Funk, a North Texas aviation pioneer, has died. Here's how she broke barriers

Summary

A neutral summary of the key facts most outlets agree on, drawn from reporting across the political spectrum.

Wally Funk, the aviation pioneer who became the oldest woman to travel into space, died Wednesday at age 87 at an assisted living apartment in Grapevine, Texas. Funk volunteered in 1961 for the privately funded Women in Space Program, often associated with the Mercury 13, but NASA did not select women as astronauts at the time. She later worked as a pilot, flight instructor and air safety investigator. In 2021, she flew on Blue Origin’s New Shepard at age 82.

The Coverage

How outlets are covering this story: how much of the coverage argues a viewpoint, and the angles that emerged — built only from the analysis and opinion pieces, never from straight reporting. Each dot is one article, placed by its outlet's bias — left to right. How to read our graphics →

Reportinglittle to no commentary — just the facts.

Every side is telling the same story.

report the story without an explicit viewpoint — no competing angles emerged from outlets across the spectrum.