Astronaut Reveals Emotional Distress After Wave of Harassment After Historic Trip

A pioneering space traveler has publicly detailed her struggle with mental health after enduring a massive wave of online abuse in the wake of a landmark journey to the edge of space.

Amanda Nguyen – known as a researcher and activist – was part of the brief journey to space in April, which also featured celebrity crewmates.

The high-profile flight was met with derision by some, who questioned its cost and environmental footprint.

Reflecting on the experience, the astronaut, who made history as the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the intense backlash overshadowed her achievement under an “avalanche of misogyny”.

“I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a social media post, describing a phone call from a mission companion in the period after the flight.

She characterized the subsequent media coverage and social media frenzy as an barrage beyond typical human coping.

“Stuck in Texas, I spent a week unable to rise from my bed,” she confessed. “A month later… I had to hang up… because I could not speak through my tears.”

Eclipsed by Backlash

Ms. Nguyen, who has focused her career on female health science and operated research during the mission, said everything she had worked for – including her studies and astronaut training to the personal milestone of her heritage – was overshadowed under the avalanche of sexist vitriol.

She is widely recognized for her groundbreaking advocacy protecting the rights of victims of sexual violence.

Her own goal of reaching space was put on hold after surviving a rape during her time as a student, leading to a protracted legal battle.

The Fog Begins to Lift

Now, eight months after fulfilling her dream, she has stated the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she acknowledged the well-wishers whose messages of encouragement were her lifeline. “You were my salvation,” she said.

She concluded that despite the negativity, important benefits had resulted from the mission, including elevated attention for her women's health research and platforms for her activism.

Flight Details

The self-operating spacecraft lifted off from Texas in the spring, carrying the all-female team on a brief suborbital flight that crossed the edge of space.

The diverse crew also comprised accomplished professionals from different industries.

The enterprise behind the mission is a commercial aerospace company established by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.