"I love it. I love it!": Wally Funk makes history during Blue Origin's launch to space
CBSN
At age 82, Wally Funk's energy is infectious and her perseverance is impressive. The aviation pioneer was once denied a chance to become an astronaut because of her gender. But on Tuesday, she achieved her dream of seeing what lies beyond the Earth.
"I have been waiting a long time to finally get it up there," she could be heard saying as she blasted off from West Texas aboard the Blue Origin spacecraft for a 10-minute ride more than 65 miles into the sky. For Funk, the countdown to this day lasted 60 years. She said Tuesday's trip to space was fantastic. "I love it. I love it!" she said.Two climbers were waiting to be rescued near the peak of Denali, a colossal mountain that towers over miles of vast tundra in southern Alaska, officials said Wednesday. Originally part of a three-person team that became stranded near the top of the mountain, the climbers put out a distress call more than 30 hours earlier suggesting they were hypothermic and unable to descend on their own, according to the National Park Service.
There's no making up for what Olympic hurdler Lashinda Demus lost on the day she finished .07 seconds behind a Russian opponent who, everyone later learned, was doping. What the American 400-meter hurdles champion will finally receive is a great day under the Eiffel Tower where she'll be presented with the gold medal she was denied 12 years ago at the London Olympics.