Astronaut Reveals Mental Health Struggle After ‘Tsunami of Online Abuse Post-Spaceflight
A Vietnamese-American astronaut has opened up regarding her struggle with mental health after facing a relentless barrage of criticism in the wake of a landmark journey to the edge of space.
Amanda Nguyen – recognized as a researcher and activist – was part of the brief journey to space in the spring, which also featured high-profile passengers.
The much-publicized journey was met with derision by some, who questioned its cost and ecological impact.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Ms. Nguyen, who became the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the vicious response overshadowed her achievement under an landslide of gendered hatred.
“I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a online statement, describing a supportive conversation from a fellow crew member in the days following the flight.
She described the news reports and online discourse as an barrage beyond typical human coping.
“I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed,” she wrote. “Even a month on, a phone call ended with me hanging up, weeping uncontrollably.”
Eclipsed by Backlash
The researcher, who has dedicated her work to female health science and performed experiments during the flight, said all her lifelong efforts – including her lab work and years of training to the personal milestone of her roots – was buried under the deluge of sexist vitriol.
She is most acclaimed for her tireless campaigning fighting for justice for survivors of assault.
Her own aspiration for spaceflight was deferred after surviving a rape during her university years, leading to a years-long quest for justice.
The Fog Begins to Lift
Now, eight months after reaching space, she has stated the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she thanked the well-wishers whose messages of encouragement pulled her through. “You were my salvation,” she said.
She concluded that despite the negativity, considerable good had resulted from the flight, including spotlight on her scientific work and platforms for her activism.
The Historic Journey
The self-operating New Shepard rocket lifted off from Texas in April, carrying the six-woman crew on a brief suborbital flight that exceeded the Kármán line of space.
The team of pioneers also comprised leaders in multiple disciplines.
The venture behind the flight is a commercial aerospace company established by a well-known tech mogul.
