Space Traveler Shares Emotional Distress Following ‘Tsunami of Backlash Post-Spaceflight

A pioneering space traveler has publicly detailed her emotional downturn after being subjected to a “tsunami of harassment” in the wake of a landmark journey to the edge of space.

Amanda Nguyen – known as a researcher and activist – was part of the brief journey to space in April, which also carried celebrity crewmates.

The mission was widely scrutinized by some, who questioned its cost and ecological impact.

Reflecting on the ordeal, the astronaut, who was celebrated as the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the intense backlash overshadowed her achievement under an landslide of gendered hatred.

“I told her my depression might last for years,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a public message, recalling a phone call from a mission companion in the period after the flight.

She characterized the subsequent media coverage and social media frenzy as an “onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure”.

“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 women's health research and conducted tests during the mission, said everything she had worked for – from her scientific research and astronaut training to the personal milestone of her roots – was drowned out under the deluge of sexist vitriol.

She is best known for her groundbreaking advocacy protecting the rights of survivors of assault.

Her own aspiration for spaceflight was put on hold after an attack during her university years, leading to a years-long quest for justice.

Finding Solid Ground

Months following reaching space, she has stated the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she acknowledged the followers whose messages of encouragement were her lifeline. “You were my salvation,” she affirmed.

She added that even with the backlash, 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 lifted off from its launch site in the spring, carrying the six-woman crew on a 11-minute journey that crossed the internationally recognized boundary of space.

The diverse crew also featured experts in different industries.

The company behind the flight is a private space firm launched by a Amazon founder.