Space Traveler Shares Emotional Distress After Deluge of Backlash Following Journey

A pioneering space traveler has opened up regarding her battle with depression after being subjected to a massive wave of online abuse in the aftermath of a pioneering women-only spaceflight.

The 34-year-old activist – known as a scientist and civil rights advocate – was part of the short-duration mission in April, which also carried celebrity crewmates.

The mission was met with derision by some, who challenged its value and environmental footprint.

Reflecting on the experience, the astronaut, who became the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the intense backlash eclipsed her moment under an “avalanche of misogyny”.

“I explained the depression could persist for a long time,” she recounted in a social media post, recalling a phone call from a fellow crew member in the period after the flight.

She portrayed the news reports and online discourse as an unprecedented psychological assault.

“I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed,” she wrote. “A month later… I had to hang up… because I could not speak through my tears.”

Overshadowed by Sexism

The researcher, who has conducted studies in female health science and operated research during the flight, said everything she had worked for – including her scientific research and years of training to the symbolic importance of her heritage – was drowned out under the tide of gendered attacks.

She is widely recognized for her groundbreaking advocacy championing the cause of survivors of assault.

Her own aspiration for spaceflight was put on hold 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 has stated the heaviest sorrow is beginning to clear, and she thanked the followers whose kindness were her lifeline. “You were my salvation,” she wrote.

She noted that despite the negativity, significant positive outcomes had resulted from the experience, including elevated attention for her women's health research and platforms for her activism.

Flight Details

The fully automated New Shepard rocket departed Texas in April, carrying the all-female team on a short trip that passed the edge of outer space.

The team of pioneers also comprised experts in various fields.

The venture behind the flight is a commercial aerospace company launched by a well-known tech mogul.