Space Traveler Shares Depression In the Wake of Deluge of Backlash Post-Spaceflight
A pioneering space traveler has opened up regarding her struggle with mental health after being subjected to a relentless barrage of criticism in the aftermath of a pioneering women-only spaceflight.
Amanda Nguyen – known as a researcher and activist – was part of the short-duration mission earlier this year, which also carried celebrity crewmates.
The high-profile flight was met with derision by some, who questioned its cost and carbon footprint.
Reflecting on the experience, Ms. Nguyen, who became the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the intense backlash buried her dreams under an torrent of sexist abuse.
“I told her my depression might last 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 characterized the subsequent media coverage and social media frenzy as an barrage beyond typical human coping.
“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
The researcher, who has focused her career on women's health research and conducted tests during the flight, said everything she had worked for – including her lab work and years of training to the symbolic importance of her roots – was buried under the avalanche of gendered attacks.
She is best known for her tireless campaigning fighting for justice for sexual assault survivors.
Her own aspiration for spaceflight was paused after an attack during her university years, leading to a long campaign for accountability.
A Path to Recovery
Now, eight months after reaching space, she noted the deepest pain is gradually receding, and she thanked the followers whose support pulled her through. “You were my salvation,” she affirmed.
She noted that amid the criticism, considerable good had resulted from the experience, including increased focus on her women's health research and chances to influence leaders.
The Historic Journey
The fully automated New Shepard rocket departed its launch site in the spring, carrying the six-woman crew on a 11-minute journey that passed the Kármán line of space.
The group of women also included experts in various fields.
The enterprise behind the flight is a private space firm established by a well-known tech mogul.
