government
Wally Funk, Texas aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87
Summary by Sugar Land News Editorial Desk · Byline on the source page: Associated Press , as published by KPRC 2 Houston (NBC / Click2Houston)
· July 9, 2026
· 1 min read
Photo: KPRC 2 Houston (NBC / Click2Houston) · view original
Story provenance No corrections
Summary created by Sugar Land News Editorial Desk — automated, rule-governed Byline on source page Associated Press, as published by KPRC 2 Houston (NBC / Click2Houston) Original story Read at the source Source published Jul 9, 2026 AI assistance Automated summary drawn from the source’s own published text Prepublication human review No — editorial rules, flagged-item review, and published samples
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Key points Further details about Funk's life and achievements are available, including her historic space travel aboard a Blue Origin rocket in 2021. Wally Funk, who held the distinction of being the oldest woman to travel into space, died at the age of 87.
A Texas aviation pioneer has passed away. Wally Funk, who held the distinction of being the oldest woman to travel into space, died at the age of 87.
Funk's death occurred at an assisted living facility in Grapevine, a suburb of Dallas and Fort Worth. She had experienced recent health issues, including falls and a leg infection.
Further details about Funk's life and achievements are available, including her historic space travel aboard a Blue Origin rocket in 2021.
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KPRC 2 Houston (NBC / Click2Houston) reported and published this story. Sugar Land News selected it, summarised the key facts above, and links to the original. We did not report this story and we added no reporting of our own to it.
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As published by KPRC 2 Houston (NBC / Click2Houston) . Sugar Land News selects stories from publishers’ feeds, summarises them, and links back to the publisher that reported them. We add no reporting of our own. We attribute every source, link to the original report, and follow a documented editorial standards policy. To understand how stories are selected and reviewed, read our about page .
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Category: government ·
Published: July 9, 2026 ·
Source: KPRC 2 Houston (NBC / Click2Houston) ·
Reading time: 1 min
Frequently asked about this story
What is this story about? A Texas aviation pioneer has passed away. Wally Funk, who held the distinction of being the oldest woman to travel into space, died at the age of 87. Funk's death occurred at an assisted living…
When was this published? This article was first published on July 9, 2026 by KPRC 2 Houston (NBC / Click2Houston) and curated for Sugar Land News readers.
Who reported this story? This story was reported by Associated Press at KPRC 2 Houston (NBC / Click2Houston). To learn more about how Sugar Land News selects and reviews stories, see our editorial standards .
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