Space Traveler Reveals Emotional Distress In the Wake of Deluge of Harassment Post-Spaceflight

A Vietnamese-American astronaut has spoken candidly about her struggle with mental health after being subjected to a “tsunami of harassment” in the wake of a landmark journey to the edge of space.

Amanda Nguyen – known as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the short-duration mission earlier this year, which also featured well-known figures.

The high-profile flight was heavily criticized by some, who questioned its cost and ecological impact.

Reflecting on the experience, Ms. Nguyen, who was celebrated as the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the vicious response eclipsed her moment under an landslide of gendered hatred.

“I told her my depression might last for years,” she recounted in a online statement, describing a supportive conversation from a mission companion in the aftermath of the landing.

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

“For a full week, I was bedridden and couldn't leave my Texas location,” she confessed. “Even a month on, a phone call ended with me hanging up, weeping uncontrollably.”

Buried Under Misogyny

Ms. Nguyen, who has focused her career on female health science and performed experiments during the flight, said everything she had worked for – including her scientific research and years of training to the symbolic importance of her roots – was drowned out under the deluge of sexist vitriol.

She is best known for her groundbreaking advocacy protecting the rights of victims of sexual violence.

Her own aspiration for spaceflight was put on hold after an attack during her university years, leading to a years-long quest for justice.

The Fog Begins to Lift

Now, eight months after achieving her goal, she reports that the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she acknowledged the followers whose messages of encouragement were her lifeline. “Your support rescued me,” she said.

She added that even with the backlash, important benefits had come out of the experience, such as increased focus on her women's health research and platforms for her activism.

The Historic Journey

The self-operating spacecraft lifted off from Texas in the spring, carrying the six-woman crew on a short trip that passed the internationally recognized boundary of space.

The group of women also included experts in multiple disciplines.

The company behind the mission is a commercial aerospace company founded by a well-known tech mogul.