🔗 Share this article Crew Member Shares Mental Health Struggle Following ‘Tsunami of Harassment After Historic Trip The scientist and activist, a women's health researcher, was a passenger on the automated spacecraft in Spring 2025. A pioneering space traveler has opened up regarding her struggle with mental health after facing a massive wave of online abuse in the wake of a landmark journey to the edge of space. Amanda Nguyen – celebrated as a researcher and activist – was part of the short-duration mission earlier this year, which also included celebrity crewmates. The high-profile flight was widely scrutinized by some, who questioned its cost and environmental footprint. Reflecting on the ordeal, Ms. Nguyen, who became the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the intense backlash overshadowed her achievement under an torrent of sexist abuse. “I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” she recounted in a online statement, referring to a check-in call from a fellow crew member in the period after the journey. She portrayed the press attention and digital reaction as an unprecedented psychological assault. “I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed,” she confessed. “Even a month on, a phone call ended with me hanging up, weeping uncontrollably.” Eclipsed by Backlash Ms. Nguyen, who has dedicated her work to female health science and performed experiments during the flight, said everything she had worked for – from her scientific research and astronaut training to the symbolic importance of her background – was overshadowed under the tide of sexist vitriol. She is most acclaimed for her groundbreaking advocacy championing the cause of sexual assault survivors. Her own aspiration for spaceflight was deferred after surviving a rape during her college days, leading to a years-long quest for justice. A Path to Recovery Months following achieving her goal, she noted the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she thanked the followers whose messages of encouragement pulled her through. “You all saved me,” she wrote. She noted that despite the negativity, considerable good had come out of the experience, including elevated attention for her women's health research and platforms for her activism. Flight Details The self-operating New Shepard rocket launched from its launch site in April, carrying the all-female team on a 11-minute journey that passed the Kármán line of space. The diverse crew also featured accomplished professionals from various fields. The venture behind the flight is a commercial aerospace company established by a Amazon founder.
The scientist and activist, a women's health researcher, was a passenger on the automated spacecraft in Spring 2025. A pioneering space traveler has opened up regarding her struggle with mental health after facing a massive wave of online abuse in the wake of a landmark journey to the edge of space. Amanda Nguyen – celebrated as a researcher and activist – was part of the short-duration mission earlier this year, which also included celebrity crewmates. The high-profile flight was widely scrutinized by some, who questioned its cost and environmental footprint. Reflecting on the ordeal, Ms. Nguyen, who became the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the intense backlash overshadowed her achievement under an torrent of sexist abuse. “I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” she recounted in a online statement, referring to a check-in call from a fellow crew member in the period after the journey. She portrayed the press attention and digital reaction as an unprecedented psychological assault. “I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed,” she confessed. “Even a month on, a phone call ended with me hanging up, weeping uncontrollably.” Eclipsed by Backlash Ms. Nguyen, who has dedicated her work to female health science and performed experiments during the flight, said everything she had worked for – from her scientific research and astronaut training to the symbolic importance of her background – was overshadowed under the tide of sexist vitriol. She is most acclaimed for her groundbreaking advocacy championing the cause of sexual assault survivors. Her own aspiration for spaceflight was deferred after surviving a rape during her college days, leading to a years-long quest for justice. A Path to Recovery Months following achieving her goal, she noted the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she thanked the followers whose messages of encouragement pulled her through. “You all saved me,” she wrote. She noted that despite the negativity, considerable good had come out of the experience, including elevated attention for her women's health research and platforms for her activism. Flight Details The self-operating New Shepard rocket launched from its launch site in April, carrying the all-female team on a 11-minute journey that passed the Kármán line of space. The diverse crew also featured accomplished professionals from various fields. The venture behind the flight is a commercial aerospace company established by a Amazon founder.