Crew Member Reveals Mental Health Struggle After ‘Tsunami of Online Abuse Following Journey

A pioneering space traveler has opened up regarding her emotional downturn after being subjected to a massive wave of online abuse in the wake of a historic all-female space mission.

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

The much-publicized journey was widely scrutinized by some, who questioned its cost and ecological impact.

Reflecting on the experience, the astronaut, who was celebrated as the pioneer for her community, stated the negative reaction overshadowed her achievement under an landslide of gendered hatred.

“I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” the astronaut shared in a online statement, recalling a phone call from a mission companion in the aftermath of the landing.

She characterized the news reports and online discourse as an barrage beyond typical human coping.

“For a full week, I was bedridden and couldn't leave my Texas location,” she revealed. “Even a month on, a phone call ended with me hanging up, weeping uncontrollably.”

Overshadowed by Sexism

The researcher, who has conducted studies in gynecological science and operated research during the flight, said everything she had worked for – from her lab work and years of training to the historic significance of her background – was buried under the avalanche of misogyny.

She is most acclaimed for her groundbreaking advocacy protecting the rights of sexual assault survivors.

Her own dream of becoming an astronaut was put on hold after an attack during her university years, leading to a long campaign for accountability.

Finding Solid Ground

Months following achieving her goal, she reports that the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she acknowledged the supporters whose support helped save her. “You were my salvation,” she wrote.

She noted that despite the negativity, considerable good had come out of the flight, including elevated attention for her women's health research and platforms for her activism.

Flight Details

The self-operating spacecraft departed Texas in the spring, carrying the historic roster on a brief suborbital flight that crossed the Kármán line of space.

The group of women also comprised experts in various fields.

The company behind the mission is a private space firm founded by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.