Space Traveler Shares Mental Health Struggle After Wave of Online Abuse Post-Spaceflight

A Vietnamese-American astronaut has opened up regarding her emotional downturn after enduring a massive wave of online abuse in the aftermath of a pioneering women-only spaceflight.

Amanda Nguyen – recognized as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the brief journey to space in the spring, which also carried high-profile passengers.

The high-profile flight was widely scrutinized by some, who challenged its value and environmental footprint.

Reflecting on the situation, the astronaut, who became the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the vicious response overshadowed her achievement under an “avalanche of misogyny”.

“I told her my depression might last for years,” the astronaut shared in a online statement, recalling a check-in call from a mission companion in the period after the landing.

She characterized the subsequent media coverage and social media frenzy as an “onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure”.

“I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed,” she confessed. “Weeks after, I was forced to terminate a call, my voice choked by tears.”

Overshadowed by Sexism

Ms. Nguyen, who has focused her career on women's health research and operated research during the flight, said every professional achievement – including her lab work and years of training to the personal milestone of her background – was buried under the deluge of sexist vitriol.

She is most acclaimed for her tireless campaigning championing the cause of survivors of assault.

Her own aspiration for spaceflight was put on hold after being assaulted during her college days, leading to a years-long quest for justice.

A Path to Recovery

Months following achieving her goal, she reports that the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she expressed gratitude the well-wishers whose kindness pulled her through. “You all saved me,” she wrote.

She concluded that even with the backlash, important benefits had come out of the experience, such as elevated attention for her scientific work and platforms for her activism.

Flight Details

The self-operating New Shepard rocket departed its launch site in April, carrying the six-woman crew on a brief suborbital flight that exceeded the edge of space.

The team of pioneers also featured experts in multiple disciplines.

The enterprise behind the mission is a private space firm launched by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.