Why One Space Tourist Felt 'Let Down' By Her First Flight

Mary Wallace, or “Wally” Funk had had her heart set on spaceflight from the age of 17. It took her 65 years to get there, and the 82-year-old’s dream came true aboard a civilian space flight – courtesy of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. But something was amiss. And she apparently only gave the whole experience a mere 2-star review.

Blue Origin space travel

Funk’s first foray into space travel came courtesy of Blue Origin. That is, of course, the spaceflight company set up by Amazon creator and multi billionaire Jeff Bezos. For 21 years the entrepreneur has been in pursuit of commercial space travel, and on July 20, 2021 he finally sent the rocket, New Shepard, into sub-orbit.

Granted certain civilians access to space

The space race has shifted from being run between nations decades ago to being fought by billionaires. And Funk is among only a clutch of people who have been involved in both eras. Yet despite her long wait to fly into what qualifies as “space,” the pilot was kind of left a little blue by the excursion.

The passengers

Funk wasn’t the only passenger on the spaceflight, though. Because Bezos was onboard, too, and he described the experience as the “best day ever.” They were joined by Mark Bezos, the Amazon man’s younger brother, as well as the youngest person to ever take a trip into space, 18-year-old Oliver Daemen. 

One of the oldest people to go to space

At 82, Funk briefly held the record as the oldest person to have ever made the trip into space. And this was only recently broken by William Shatner at a whopping 90 years of age. But Funk's age isn't what makes her a trailblazer. For more than six decades the aviation pioneer has broken through boundaries set for female astronauts as well as pilots. Plus her spaceflight journey began as the result of a devastating accident in 1956.