Space Traveler Reveals Mental Health Struggle After Deluge of Online Abuse Following Journey

A Vietnamese-American astronaut has spoken candidly about her struggle with mental health after being subjected to a “tsunami of harassment” in the aftermath of a historic all-female space mission.

The 34-year-old activist – known as a researcher and activist – was part of the short-duration mission in April, which also featured celebrity crewmates.

The high-profile flight was met with derision by some, who challenged its value and environmental footprint.

Reflecting on the ordeal, Ms. Nguyen, who made history as the pioneer for her community, stated the vicious response buried her dreams 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 phone call from a mission companion in the period after the flight.

She characterized the news reports and online discourse as an “onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure”.

“Stuck in Texas, I spent a week unable to rise from my bed,” she confessed. “Even a month on, a phone call ended with me hanging up, weeping uncontrollably.”

Buried Under Misogyny

The researcher, who has dedicated her work to women's health research and conducted tests 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 drowned out under the deluge of gendered attacks.

She is widely recognized for her pioneering work protecting the rights of survivors of assault.

Her own dream of becoming an astronaut was paused after an attack during her college days, leading to a long campaign for accountability.

The Fog Begins to Lift

Now, eight months after reaching space, she noted the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she acknowledged the supporters whose support pulled her through. “Your support rescued me,” she wrote.

She noted that even with the backlash, important benefits had emerged from the experience, such as spotlight on her women's health research and platforms for her activism.

The Historic Journey

The self-operating New Shepard rocket departed Texas in the spring, carrying the historic roster on a 11-minute journey that passed the internationally recognized boundary of outer space.

The group of women also featured experts in different industries.

The venture behind the flight is a commercial aerospace company founded by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.