Astronaut Reveals Mental Health Struggle After Wave of Online Abuse Following Journey
A Vietnamese-American astronaut has spoken candidly about her emotional downturn after enduring a massive wave of online abuse in the aftermath of a pioneering women-only spaceflight.
Amanda Nguyen – celebrated as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the short-duration mission in the spring, which also included high-profile passengers.
The mission was heavily criticized by some, who challenged its value and ecological impact.
Reflecting on the experience, the astronaut, who made history as the pioneer for her community, stated the vicious response overshadowed her achievement under an “avalanche of misogyny”.
“I said the emotional pain might endure for years,” she recounted in a social media post, referring to a supportive conversation from a mission companion in the period after the flight.
She portrayed the news reports and online discourse as an “onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure”.
“Stuck in Texas, I spent a week unable to rise from my bed,” she revealed. “Even a month on, a phone call ended with me hanging up, weeping uncontrollably.”
Buried Under Misogyny
The researcher, who has focused her career on women's health research and conducted tests during the flight, said all her lifelong efforts – including her studies and years of training to the personal milestone of her background – was overshadowed under the deluge of gendered attacks.
She is best known for her tireless campaigning championing the cause of sexual assault survivors.
Her own goal of reaching space was put on hold after an attack during her university years, leading to a years-long quest for justice.
Finding Solid Ground
Months following fulfilling her dream, she reports that the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she thanked the supporters whose messages of encouragement helped save her. “You all saved me,” she wrote.
She added that even with the backlash, important benefits had emerged from the flight, such as elevated attention for her women's health research and new advocacy opportunities.
The Historic Journey
The fully automated spacecraft departed Texas in the spring, carrying the all-female team on a brief suborbital flight that passed the internationally recognized boundary of space.
The group of women also included experts in different industries.
The company behind the mission is a private space firm founded by a Amazon founder.
