Astronaut Discloses Depression In the Wake of Deluge of Harassment After Historic Trip
A Vietnamese-American astronaut has spoken candidly about her battle with depression after enduring a massive wave of online abuse in the aftermath of a pioneering women-only spaceflight.
Amanda Nguyen – celebrated as a researcher and activist – was part of the brief journey to space in April, which also featured celebrity crewmates.
The mission was met with derision by some, who challenged its value and environmental footprint.
Reflecting on the ordeal, the astronaut, who made history as the pioneer for her community, stated the intense backlash buried her dreams under an landslide of gendered hatred.
“I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” she recounted in a online statement, recalling a phone call from a mission companion in the period after the journey.
She described the subsequent media coverage and social media frenzy as an barrage beyond typical human coping.
“Stuck in Texas, I spent a week unable to rise from my bed,” she wrote. “A month later… I had to hang up… because I could not speak through my tears.”
Eclipsed by Backlash
The researcher, who has dedicated her work to female health science and conducted tests during the mission, said everything she had worked for – from her studies and astronaut training to the personal milestone of her heritage – was drowned out under the tide of gendered attacks.
She is most acclaimed for her groundbreaking advocacy protecting the rights of survivors of assault.
Her own aspiration for spaceflight was paused after an attack during her time as a student, leading to a protracted legal battle.
Finding Solid Ground
Now, eight months after fulfilling her dream, she reports that the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she expressed gratitude the well-wishers whose support pulled her through. “You all saved me,” she affirmed.
She added that despite the negativity, significant positive outcomes had come out of the mission, including elevated attention for her women's health research and chances to influence leaders.
The Historic Journey
The self-operating New Shepard rocket launched from its launch site in April, carrying the all-female team on a 11-minute journey that crossed the Kármán line of outer space.
The diverse crew also comprised leaders in multiple disciplines.
The venture behind the mission is a commercial aerospace company launched by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.