Cape Canaveral: Sixty years after an acting astronaut test but it is prohibited because he is a woman, Wally Funk will skyrocket into space with Jeff Bezos in just three weeks.
The BLUE BEZOS company announced Thursday that the pileeering pilot would be above the July 20 launch of Texas Barat, flying in capsules as “honorable guests.” He will join BEZOS, his brother and a $ 28 million auction winner, as the first person to ride a new Shepard rocket.
At 82, he would be the oldest person to be launched into space.
Funk was the youngest of the Mercury 13 woman who had been through an astronaut test in the early 1960s, but never managed to get to the room – or even the Astronaut NASA corps – because they were women.
At that time, all Astronauts NASA was a man’s military pilot.
Funk said he felt “extraordinary” about finally getting the chance to go into space.
“I’ll love every second.
Wooooo! Ha-ha.
I can barely wait,” Funk said in the Instagram video posted by Bezos.
“Nothing has ever been on the way,” he added.
“They said,” Well, you’re a girl, you can’t do that.
“I said, ‘Guess what is not a problem.
You can still do it if you want to do it and I like to do anyone who has never done anyone.” In the cosmic twist, he will defeat the deceased John Glenn, who set a record At the age of 77 when flying on the shuttle in 1998.
Glenn Poohed the idea of women flying in space, shortly after he became the first American to the world orbit in 1962.
“Nobody waited longer,” Bezos said through Instagram.
“It’s time.
Welcome to the crew, Wally.” The Amazon founder resigned as CEO of the company on Monday.
The upcoming launch – which follows 15 successful test flights – will open the door to pay for the customer.
Blue origin has not announced the price of a ticket or when the public binds to the spacious six seat capsules, which reaches a height of about 65 miles, right outside the edge of the room.
Flight up and down the last 10 minutes.
Rockets that can be used again named for mercury astronauts Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and July 20th is the 52nd anniversary of landing Moon Apollo 11.
Funk, who lives near Dallas, is the first female inspector for federal flight administration and air safety investigators The first woman for the National Transportation Safety Board.
In the video posted, he said he had 19,600 flying hours and had taught more than 3,000 people to fly.
He was among two dozen female pilots who underwent six days of strict physical tests – the same given to Astronaut Mercury candidates – in 1960 and 1961.
Doctors who had tested Mercury 7 men had heard the Soviet to send a woman room and she wanted to see Whether women can withstand the weight effects.
The candidates must spend hours in the water tank isolation, swallowing rubber hoses, and getting needles stuck in their heads, among others.
Thirteen women – including Funk – Graduated.
But the program was suddenly canceled, and the Soviets continued to launch the first woman to space – Valentina Tereshkova – in 1963.
They told me that I had done better and finished work faster than others, “remember Funk.
“So I held NASA four times.
I said I wanted to be an astronaut, but no one would take me.
I don’t think that I’ll go up.” Only in 1983 that the first American woman jumped into space – Sally Ride, who died in 2012.
And was new in 1995 that a American woman drove a spacecraft – Eileen Collins on the shuttle.
Many mercury women gathered at Cape Canaveral for the launch.
Want to get to space, Funk ordered a seat years ago on the Galactic Virgin Richard Branson rocket ship.
He remains on the passenger list; The company plans three more test flights from New Mexico, one of them with Branson on board, before launching customers.
In the video, Bezo describes for a funk how four blue passengers will experience zero gravity for a few minutes, then land gently on the surface of the desert and open the Palka.
“You step out.
What is the first thing you say?” He asked him.
“I’ll say,” Honey, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me! “Funk replied, embracing Bezos in a big bear arm.
___ Department of Health and Science Associated Press received support from the Ministry of Education Science Institute of Howard Hughes.
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Jeff Bezos took a pioneer of a female dirpante to be launched with him
