🔗 Share this article Astronaut Shares Emotional Distress Following Wave of Online Abuse After Historic Trip The scientist and activist, a bioastronautics research scientist, was a passenger on the automated spacecraft in April 2025. A pioneering space traveler has opened up regarding her emotional downturn after facing a massive wave of online abuse in the aftermath of a landmark journey to the edge of space. The 34-year-old activist – known as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the 11-minute suborbital flight earlier this year, which also carried high-profile passengers. The high-profile flight was heavily criticized by some, who challenged its value and environmental footprint. Reflecting on the ordeal, the astronaut, who was celebrated as the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the negative reaction buried her dreams under an “avalanche of misogyny”. “I said the emotional pain might endure for years,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a public message, recalling a check-in call from a fellow crew member in the days following the flight. She portrayed 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.” Buried Under Misogyny The researcher, who has focused her career on female health science and performed experiments during the mission, said everything she had worked for – from her studies and years of training to the historic significance of her background – was overshadowed under the avalanche of gendered attacks. She is best known for her groundbreaking advocacy championing the cause of victims of sexual violence. Her own goal of reaching space was deferred after surviving a rape during her university years, leading to a protracted legal battle. The Fog Begins to Lift Months following fulfilling her dream, she has stated the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she thanked the supporters whose kindness were her lifeline. “Your support rescued me,” she wrote. She concluded that amid the criticism, considerable good had emerged from the flight, including increased focus on her women's health research and new advocacy opportunities. Flight Details The computer-piloted spacecraft lifted off from Texas in April, carrying the all-female team on a short trip that exceeded the internationally recognized boundary of outer space. The group of women also included leaders in various fields. The venture behind the mission is a commercial aerospace company launched by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.
The scientist and activist, a bioastronautics research scientist, was a passenger on the automated spacecraft in April 2025. A pioneering space traveler has opened up regarding her emotional downturn after facing a massive wave of online abuse in the aftermath of a landmark journey to the edge of space. The 34-year-old activist – known as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the 11-minute suborbital flight earlier this year, which also carried high-profile passengers. The high-profile flight was heavily criticized by some, who challenged its value and environmental footprint. Reflecting on the ordeal, the astronaut, who was celebrated as the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the negative reaction buried her dreams under an “avalanche of misogyny”. “I said the emotional pain might endure for years,” Ms. Nguyen stated in a public message, recalling a check-in call from a fellow crew member in the days following the flight. She portrayed 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.” Buried Under Misogyny The researcher, who has focused her career on female health science and performed experiments during the mission, said everything she had worked for – from her studies and years of training to the historic significance of her background – was overshadowed under the avalanche of gendered attacks. She is best known for her groundbreaking advocacy championing the cause of victims of sexual violence. Her own goal of reaching space was deferred after surviving a rape during her university years, leading to a protracted legal battle. The Fog Begins to Lift Months following fulfilling her dream, she has stated the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she thanked the supporters whose kindness were her lifeline. “Your support rescued me,” she wrote. She concluded that amid the criticism, considerable good had emerged from the flight, including increased focus on her women's health research and new advocacy opportunities. Flight Details The computer-piloted spacecraft lifted off from Texas in April, carrying the all-female team on a short trip that exceeded the internationally recognized boundary of outer space. The group of women also included leaders in various fields. The venture behind the mission is a commercial aerospace company launched by a prominent billionaire entrepreneur.