NOEL KING, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Noel King.

Wally Funk always wanted to go to space. In 1961, she graduated with high marks from the Mercury 13 program, a private initiative that trained women to be astronauts. Then it was canceled. And she was never accepted by NASA. But at the age of 82, she's going get her chance. Funk is joining Jeff Bezos on his trip to space. They're set to launch on July 20. And she says she can hardly wait.

It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.