Wally Funk's race for space :

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Title :

Wally Funk's race for space : the extraordinary story of a female aviation pioneer / Sue Nelson.

Title:

Wally Funk's race for space :

Author:

Nelson, Sue, 1961-

Format:

Books

Physical Description:

xiii, 242 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 23 cm

ISBN:

9781641601306

Production / Publication Information:

Chicago, Illinois : Chicago Review Press, 2019.

General Note:

"First published in Great Britain in 2018 by The Westbourne Press, an imprint of Saqi Books"--Title page verso.

Summary:

"Wally Funk was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to complete NASA's 1961 Women in Space program... Undeterred, Funk went on to become one of America's first female aviation inspectors and civilian flight instructors, though her dream of being an astronaut never dimmed. In this offbeat odyssey, journalist and fellow space buff Sue Nelson travels with Wally Funk, approaching her 80th birthday, as she races to make her giant leap. Covering their travels across the United States and Europe--taking in NASA's mission control in Houston and Spaceport America in New Mexico, where Funk's ride to space awaits--this is a uniquely intimate and entertaining portrait of a true aviation trailblazer."--Dust jacket flap.

Bibliography note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-239).

Language:

English

Geographic Term:

Outer space -- Exploration -- Political aspects -- United States.

Personal Subject:

Funk, Mary Wallace, 1939-

Subject Term:

Women air pilots -- United States -- Biography.

Air pilots -- United States -- Biography.

Astronauts -- Training of.

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Material Type	Library	Call Number	Item Barcode	Location
Book	Searching... Andover - Memorial Hall Library	BIOGRAPHY FUNK, MA.	31330008785259	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Chelmsford Public Library	BIOG/FUNK	31480011225684	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Methuen - Nevins Memorial Library	B FUNK, W.	31548003239762	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Middleton - Flint Public Library	B FUNK	32126001658173	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... West Newbury - G.A.R. Memorial Library	92 FUNK	32135001442363	Searching... Unknown
Book	Searching... Westford - J.V. Fletcher Library	B FUNK	31990004746587	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Wally Funk was among the Mercury 13, the first group of American pilots to complete NASA's 1961 Women in Space program. Funk breezed through the rigorous physical and mental tests, her scores beating those of many of the male candidates--even John Glenn. Just one week before Funk was to enter the final phase of training, the entire program was abruptly cancelled. Politics and prejudice meant that none of the more-than-qualified women ever went to space. Undeterred, Funk went on to become one of America's first female aviation inspectors and civilian flight instructors, though her dream of being an astronaut never dimmed.

In this offbeat odyssey, journalist and fellow space buff Sue Nelson travels with Wally Funk, approaching her 80th birthday, as she races to make her giant leap. Covering their travels across the United States and Europe--taking in NASA's mission control in Houston and Spaceport America in New Mexico, where Funk's ride to space awaits--this is a uniquely intimate and entertaining portrait of a true aviation trailblazer.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Readers hit the road with Nelson, a British science writer, and aviation pioneer Wally Funk as they travel across the U.S. and Europe, recording a radio show about women in space, in this delightful combination of travelogue, biography, and history. They interview trailblazing women such as Mary Lawrence, a NASA flight director; Shannon Moynihan, a NASA flight surgeon; and Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut. Funk, the book's main subject, was one of the Mercury 13, a group of women who underwent the same rigorous physical and mental testing as male NASA astronauts before the Women in Space program was abruptly cancelled in 1961. Funk "never gave up her dream of becoming an astronaut," eventually buying a ticket for a future space flight from Virgin Galactic that she anxiously awaits; meanwhile, she became an accomplished aviator and flight instructor and the National Transportation Safety Board's first female flight investigator. Interspersed with the narrative are well-researched and insightful sections about women's history in the space industry (Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, was unfairly called "hysterical," and Sharman's reputation as Britain's first astronaut was overshadowed by a man who went up decades after her). Funk is accomplished, charismatic, and energetic, and readers will be glad they got to spend time with her and Nelson via this well-written, entertaining book. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Mary Wallace Wally Funk began her flying career in the 1950s, eventually becoming a flight instructor and National Transportation Safety Board air-crash investigator. Her greatest achievement is often overlooked: Funk was one of the Mercury 13, the women who put the first cracks in NASA's glass ceiling with their participation in the 1961 Women in Space program. Nelson interviewed Funk in the 1990s for a BBC radio documentary on women in space and rekindled their friendship 20 years later for a follow-up program. Her unconventional biography covering their recent time together, which included several road trips in the U.S. and England, is utterly charming and often funny. Funk comes across as a determined and intrepid octogenarian she has bought a ticket on Virgin Galactic and still hopes to reach space while those currently with NASA (like astronaut Jessica Meir) who have forgotten the Mercury 13 seem lackluster in comparison. Loquacious, curious, and always disarming, Funk is undeniably an American original, and Nelson's wry style suits her subject perfectly.--Colleen Mondor Copyright 2010 Booklist

Preface: Preparing for Launch	p. ix
1 I Heard Her Through the Grapevine	p. 1
2 Houston, We Have a Problem	p. 43
3 Cape Canaveral	p. 76
4 The Waiting List	p. 107
5 An American in Paris	p. 139
6 Spaceport America	p. 170
7 Storage Space	p. 201
Sources and Further Reading	p. 237
Acknowledgments	p. 241

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Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

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