🔗 Share this article Astronaut Shares Mental Health Struggle Following Deluge of Online Abuse After Historic Trip Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist, was aboard the New Shepard NS-31 rocket in Spring 2025. A pioneering space traveler has publicly detailed her emotional downturn after enduring a relentless barrage of criticism in the aftermath of a pioneering women-only spaceflight. Amanda Nguyen – recognized as a researcher and activist – was part of the brief journey to space in April, which also featured celebrity crewmates. The much-publicized journey was widely scrutinized by some, who cited its expense and ecological impact. Reflecting on the experience, the astronaut, who made history as the pioneer for her community, stated the intense backlash overshadowed her achievement under an torrent of sexist abuse. “I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a online statement, recalling a check-in call from a mission companion in the period after the landing. She characterized the press attention and digital reaction as an “onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure”. “I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed,” she confessed. “A month later… I had to hang up… because I could not speak through my tears.” Overshadowed by Sexism 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 studies and astronaut training to the personal milestone of her roots – was overshadowed under the deluge of sexist vitriol. She is best known for her groundbreaking advocacy protecting the rights of victims of sexual violence. Her own aspiration for spaceflight was put on hold after being assaulted during her college days, leading to a protracted legal battle. A Path to Recovery Now, eight months after reaching space, she reports that the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she expressed gratitude the well-wishers whose support pulled her through. “You were my salvation,” she wrote. She concluded that amid the criticism, important benefits had come out of the experience, including elevated attention for her women's health research and new advocacy opportunities. Flight Details The computer-piloted New Shepard rocket departed its launch site in April, carrying the six-woman crew on a brief suborbital flight that exceeded the internationally recognized boundary of space. The diverse crew also included leaders in different industries. The venture behind the mission is a commercial aerospace company established by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.
Amanda Nguyen, a bioastronautics research scientist, was aboard the New Shepard NS-31 rocket in Spring 2025. A pioneering space traveler has publicly detailed her emotional downturn after enduring a relentless barrage of criticism in the aftermath of a pioneering women-only spaceflight. Amanda Nguyen – recognized as a researcher and activist – was part of the brief journey to space in April, which also featured celebrity crewmates. The much-publicized journey was widely scrutinized by some, who cited its expense and ecological impact. Reflecting on the experience, the astronaut, who made history as the pioneer for her community, stated the intense backlash overshadowed her achievement under an torrent of sexist abuse. “I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a online statement, recalling a check-in call from a mission companion in the period after the landing. She characterized the press attention and digital reaction as an “onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure”. “I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed,” she confessed. “A month later… I had to hang up… because I could not speak through my tears.” Overshadowed by Sexism 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 studies and astronaut training to the personal milestone of her roots – was overshadowed under the deluge of sexist vitriol. She is best known for her groundbreaking advocacy protecting the rights of victims of sexual violence. Her own aspiration for spaceflight was put on hold after being assaulted during her college days, leading to a protracted legal battle. A Path to Recovery Now, eight months after reaching space, she reports that the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she expressed gratitude the well-wishers whose support pulled her through. “You were my salvation,” she wrote. She concluded that amid the criticism, important benefits had come out of the experience, including elevated attention for her women's health research and new advocacy opportunities. Flight Details The computer-piloted New Shepard rocket departed its launch site in April, carrying the six-woman crew on a brief suborbital flight that exceeded the internationally recognized boundary of space. The diverse crew also included leaders in different industries. The venture behind the mission is a commercial aerospace company established by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.