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

A Vietnamese-American astronaut has spoken candidly about her battle with depression after facing a “tsunami of harassment” in the aftermath of a pioneering women-only spaceflight.

Amanda Nguyen – celebrated as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the brief journey to space earlier this year, which also featured well-known figures.

The mission was widely scrutinized by some, who questioned its cost and environmental footprint.

Reflecting on the experience, 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,” she recounted in a online statement, recalling a check-in call from a fellow crew member in the aftermath of the journey.

She characterized the news reports and online discourse as an unprecedented psychological assault.

“Stuck in Texas, I spent a week unable to rise from my bed,” she wrote. “Even a month on, a phone call ended with me hanging up, weeping uncontrollably.”

Eclipsed by Backlash

The researcher, who has conducted studies in gynecological science and performed experiments during the flight, said everything she had worked for – from her lab work and astronaut training to the historic significance of her heritage – was buried under the deluge of gendered attacks.

She is most acclaimed for her groundbreaking advocacy protecting the rights of sexual assault survivors.

Her own aspiration for spaceflight was deferred after surviving a rape during her university years, leading to a long campaign for accountability.

A Path to Recovery

Now, eight months after reaching space, she noted the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she thanked the supporters whose kindness were her lifeline. “Your support rescued me,” she wrote.

She added that even with the backlash, considerable good had come out of the experience, such as elevated attention for her women's health research and chances to influence leaders.

Flight Details

The self-operating New Shepard rocket lifted off from its launch site in April, carrying the historic roster on a brief suborbital flight that crossed the edge of space.

The diverse crew also comprised leaders in different industries.

The venture behind the flight is a commercial aerospace company established by a well-known tech mogul.