Space Traveler Reveals Emotional Distress In the Wake of Wave of Harassment Following Journey

A Vietnamese-American astronaut has opened up regarding her emotional downturn after facing a “tsunami of harassment” in the aftermath of a landmark journey to the edge of space.

Amanda Nguyen – known as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the 11-minute suborbital flight in the spring, which also carried celebrity crewmates.

The mission was heavily criticized by some, who questioned its cost and carbon footprint.

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

“I said the emotional pain might endure for years,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a social media post, describing a phone call from a mission companion in the days following the landing.

She described 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 revealed. “A month later… I had to hang up… because I could not speak through my tears.”

Buried Under Misogyny

Ms. Nguyen, who has dedicated her work to female health science and conducted tests during the flight, said everything she had worked for – including her lab work and extensive preparation to the historic significance of her heritage – was overshadowed under the tide of gendered attacks.

She is best known for her tireless campaigning championing the cause of sexual assault survivors.

Her own dream of becoming an astronaut was deferred after an attack during her university years, leading to a long campaign for accountability.

The Fog Begins to Lift

In the time since achieving her goal, she reports that the deepest pain is gradually receding, and she thanked the followers whose support helped save her. “You all saved me,” she wrote.

She added that despite the negativity, important benefits had resulted from the flight, including elevated attention for her women's health research and platforms for her activism.

The Historic Journey

The self-operating spacecraft lifted off from its launch site in the spring, carrying the all-female team on a brief suborbital flight that passed the edge of outer space.

The group of women also included accomplished professionals from various fields.

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