Crew Member Discloses Emotional Distress After Deluge of Backlash Post-Spaceflight

A Vietnamese-American astronaut has publicly detailed her struggle with mental health after enduring a relentless barrage of criticism 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 in the spring, which also included celebrity crewmates.

The high-profile flight was heavily criticized by some, who questioned its cost and carbon footprint.

Reflecting on the ordeal, the astronaut, who made history as the pioneer for her community, stated the intense backlash eclipsed her moment under an landslide of gendered hatred.

“I told her my depression might last for years,” she recounted in a social media post, describing a phone call from a mission companion in the period after the landing.

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

“For a full week, I was bedridden and couldn't leave my Texas location,” she wrote. “A month later… I had to hang up… because I could not speak through my tears.”

Buried Under Misogyny

The researcher, who has conducted studies in women's health research and conducted tests during the mission, said everything she had worked for – including her lab work and astronaut training to the personal milestone of her roots – was buried under the tide of misogyny.

She is most acclaimed for her pioneering work championing the cause of survivors of assault.

Her own aspiration for spaceflight was deferred after an attack during her university years, leading to a protracted legal battle.

The Fog Begins to Lift

Now, eight months after fulfilling her dream, she reports that the “fog of grief has started to lift”, and she thanked the supporters whose kindness pulled her through. “You all saved me,” she wrote.

She added that amid the criticism, important benefits had resulted from the flight, such as spotlight on her scientific work and platforms for her activism.

The Historic Journey

The self-operating New Shepard rocket launched from its launch site in the spring, carrying the historic roster on a brief suborbital flight that passed the edge of outer space.

The diverse crew also featured leaders in various fields.

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