A Vietnamese-American astronaut has spoken out about her experience with depression, triggered by what she describes as a “tsunami of harassment” that followed a Blue Origin space flight earlier this year. The flight was notable for being the first all-female space mission since 1963.
Amanda Nguyen, a 34-year-old scientist and civil rights activist, was among the crew of the 11-minute Blue Origin flight, which also included figures such as pop star Katy Perry and journalist Lauren Sánchez, wife of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
The suborbital flight garnered criticism from some quarters, particularly regarding its expense and environmental impact.
Nguyen, who made history as the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated that the ensuing backlash caused her dreams to be overshadowed by what she characterized as “an avalanche of misogyny.”
In an Instagram post, Nguyen revealed that she told fellow crew member Gayle King, a prominent U.S. news anchor, who called to check on her, that “my depression might last for years.”
She described the media coverage and social media reaction following the trip as an “onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure.”
“I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed. A month later, when a senior staff at Blue [Origin] called me, I had to hang up on him because I could not speak through my tears.”
Nguyen, whose scientific work includes research on women’s health and who conducted experiments during the Blue Origin flight, explained that everything she “had worked for – as a scientist, my women’s health research, the years I had trained for this moment, the experiments I operated in space, the history that was being made as the first Vietnamese woman astronaut, on the 50th anniversary of the US-Vietnam war, as the child of boat refugees, the promise I kept to my survivor self […] were buried under an avalanche of misogyny”.
Nguyen is widely recognized for her advocacy work protecting the civil rights of sexual assault survivors.
She had previously put her aspirations of becoming an astronaut on hold after being raped while at university, subsequently leading a years-long campaign for justice, as she shared in a March interview with The Guardian.
Now, eight months after realizing her dream, Nguyen said that the “fog of grief has started to lift,” and expressed gratitude to those who have offered support and well wishes. “You all saved me,” she stated.
Despite the negativity, she emphasized that “there has been overwhelming good that has come out of [the flight],” citing the increased media attention on her women’s health research and opportunities to meet with world leaders in connection with her advocacy work.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket launched from its Texas site in April, carrying the six-woman crew on an 11-minute flight that surpassed the internationally recognized boundary of space.
Aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe and film producer Kerianne Flynn were also among the crew members.
The New Shepard rocket is fully automated, requiring no human operation.
Blue Origin is a private space company founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the entrepreneur and founder of Amazon.
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