Astronaut Discloses Mental Health Struggle After Deluge of Backlash Following Journey

A Vietnamese-American astronaut has publicly detailed her emotional downturn after enduring a massive wave of online abuse in the aftermath of a historic all-female space mission.

Amanda Nguyen – celebrated as a researcher and activist – was part of the short-duration mission earlier this year, which also carried well-known figures.

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

Reflecting on the ordeal, Ms. Nguyen, who was celebrated as the pioneer for her community, stated the vicious response eclipsed her moment under an torrent of sexist abuse.

“I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” the astronaut shared in a online statement, recalling a supportive conversation from a mission companion in the aftermath of the landing.

She characterized the news reports and online discourse as an barrage beyond typical human coping.

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

Buried Under Misogyny

The researcher, who has dedicated her work to gynecological science and conducted tests during the mission, said everything she had worked for – including her scientific research and extensive preparation to the symbolic importance of her heritage – was buried under the tide of misogyny.

She is best known for her groundbreaking advocacy championing the cause of victims of sexual violence.

Her own aspiration for spaceflight was put on hold after an attack during her university years, leading to a protracted legal battle.

Finding Solid Ground

In the time since fulfilling her dream, she reports that the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she thanked the well-wishers whose messages of encouragement helped save her. “You were my salvation,” she wrote.

She concluded that even with the backlash, significant positive outcomes had come out of the flight, such as elevated attention for her women's health research and chances to influence leaders.

Flight Details

The fully automated spacecraft departed Texas in April, carrying the all-female team on a brief suborbital flight that passed the internationally recognized boundary of space.

The diverse crew also comprised leaders in different industries.

The company behind the flight is a commercial aerospace company founded by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.