Trailblazing Pilot, 82, To Fly Into Space With Jeff Bezos

The trip is 60 years overdue for Wally Funk, who was one of the Mercury 13 -- the first women trained to fly to space from 1960-1961, but excluded because of their gender.

Barrier-breaking woman aviator Wally Funk, 82, will join Jeff Bezos this month on the first crewed spaceflight for the billionaire's company Blue Origin, the firm announced Thursday. The trip is 60 years overdue for Funk, who was one of the Mercury 13 -- the first women trained to fly to space from 1960-1961, but excluded because of their gender. On July 20, she will become the oldest person ever to go to space when she takes part in the journey aboard the New Shepard launch vehicle along with Bezos, his brother Mark and one other traveler who paid $28 million at auction for the seat. "I can hardly wait," Funk says in a video posted on Bezos's Instagram account.