美国航空先驱、曾以 82 岁高龄乘坐蓝色起源火箭进入太空的最年长女性瓦利·芬克（Wally Funk）于德克萨斯州葡萄藤市的一家辅助生活设施中安详离世 [1][2]。其好友兼护理者达夫·奥戴尔证实了该消息，称她是在周三晚上去世的 [2]。
芬克的逝世与近期健康状况恶化有关，据报是由于摔倒及腿部感染导致身体状况急剧下降 [2]。她在 87 岁高龄时完成了这一壮举，当时创下了最年长太空旅行者的纪录 [1][2]。作为美国联邦航空管理局首位女性检查员以及国家运输安全委员会首位女性空中安全调查员，芬克在航空领域留下了深远影响 [1]。
早在 20 世纪 60 年代，“水星 13 号”计划中接受宇航员训练的女性飞行员之一便是她，尽管当时未被 NASA 选中，但她最终在 2021 年实现了太空梦想 [1]。NASA 局长贾里德·艾萨克曼曾在 X 平台发文悼念这位传奇人物 [1]。
Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer who became the oldest person ever to travel into space when she flew on a Blue Origin rocket in 2021, has died at age 87 [1][2]. She passed away Wednesday night at an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas [2], where her friend and caregiver Duff O'Dell confirmed the news Thursday [2]. Funk's death was attributed to complications from a recent fall that led to leg infections which worsened her condition [2].
Born into aviation history as one of the female pilots trained during NASA's "Mercury 13" program in the 1960s, she was not selected for spaceflight at that time but eventually realized her dream decades later [1][2]. In addition to her historic flight record, Funk held significant roles within the aviation industry as the first woman inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration and the first female air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board [1]. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson did not issue a statement in the provided facts; however, Jared Isaacman posted on X mourning her passing [1][2].