🔗 Share this article Space Traveler Reveals Depression In the Wake of Wave of Backlash Post-Spaceflight Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist, was onboard the automated spacecraft in Spring 2025. A pioneering space traveler has publicly detailed her battle with depression after being subjected to a relentless barrage of criticism in the wake of a pioneering women-only spaceflight. Amanda Nguyen – celebrated as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the 11-minute suborbital flight earlier this year, which also carried celebrity crewmates. The mission was heavily criticized by some, who cited its expense and ecological impact. Reflecting on the experience, the astronaut, who became the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the negative reaction overshadowed her achievement under an “avalanche of misogyny”. “I told her my depression might last for years,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a online statement, describing a phone call from a fellow crew member in the period after the landing. 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. “A month later… I had to hang up… because I could not speak through my tears.” Eclipsed by Backlash Ms. Nguyen, who has dedicated her work to gynecological science and performed experiments during the mission, said every professional achievement – from her scientific research and astronaut training to the historic significance of her background – was overshadowed under the deluge of sexist vitriol. She is best known for her tireless campaigning fighting for justice for sexual assault survivors. Her own dream of becoming an astronaut was put on hold after surviving a rape during her university years, leading to a years-long quest for justice. Finding Solid Ground Months following achieving her goal, she reports that the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she thanked the well-wishers whose support helped save her. “Your support rescued me,” she said. She added that despite the negativity, considerable good had emerged from the experience, such as elevated attention for her women's health research and platforms for her activism. Flight Details The fully automated spacecraft launched from its launch site in April, carrying the six-woman crew on a short trip that crossed the Kármán line of space. The team of pioneers also comprised experts in multiple disciplines. The company behind the mission is a commercial aerospace company launched by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.
Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist, was onboard the automated spacecraft in Spring 2025. A pioneering space traveler has publicly detailed her battle with depression after being subjected to a relentless barrage of criticism in the wake of a pioneering women-only spaceflight. Amanda Nguyen – celebrated as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the 11-minute suborbital flight earlier this year, which also carried celebrity crewmates. The mission was heavily criticized by some, who cited its expense and ecological impact. Reflecting on the experience, the astronaut, who became the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the negative reaction overshadowed her achievement under an “avalanche of misogyny”. “I told her my depression might last for years,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a online statement, describing a phone call from a fellow crew member in the period after the landing. 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. “A month later… I had to hang up… because I could not speak through my tears.” Eclipsed by Backlash Ms. Nguyen, who has dedicated her work to gynecological science and performed experiments during the mission, said every professional achievement – from her scientific research and astronaut training to the historic significance of her background – was overshadowed under the deluge of sexist vitriol. She is best known for her tireless campaigning fighting for justice for sexual assault survivors. Her own dream of becoming an astronaut was put on hold after surviving a rape during her university years, leading to a years-long quest for justice. Finding Solid Ground Months following achieving her goal, she reports that the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she thanked the well-wishers whose support helped save her. “Your support rescued me,” she said. She added that despite the negativity, considerable good had emerged from the experience, such as elevated attention for her women's health research and platforms for her activism. Flight Details The fully automated spacecraft launched from its launch site in April, carrying the six-woman crew on a short trip that crossed the Kármán line of space. The team of pioneers also comprised experts in multiple disciplines. The company behind the mission is a commercial aerospace company launched by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.