US EditionAmanda Nguyen: Blue Origin Astronaut Reveals Depression After Space Flight Backlash
Amanda Nguyen faced severe depression from online harassment after the Blue Origin flight but raised awareness for breast cancer and made historic representation in space.
- On Sunday, Amanda Nguyen said in an Instagram statement that she faced a severe mental-health toll after the Blue Origin New Shepard suborbital mission earlier this year from Texas.
- Critics targeted the flight for its expense, publicity, and environmental impact, and Nguyen described the backlash as an overwhelming onslaught of misogynistic harassment.
- Nguyen described immediate effects, saying she did not leave Texas for a week and hung up on senior Blue Origin staff because she could not speak through her tears.
- Eight months later, Nguyen says the "fog of grief has started to lift" and credits supporters, noting the mission raised awareness for her breast cancer research and secured historic firsts as the first Vietnamese and first Southeast Asian woman in space.
- Beyond Nguyen's account, the flight has reopened debate about Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000, as critics highlight cost and environmental impact amid celebrity and scientist participation.
19 Articles
19 Articles
'Avalanche of Misogyny:' Feminist on Blue Origin's All-Female Spaceflight Complains About Harassment
Amanda Nguyen, a feminist who became the first Vietnamese woman to go to the edge of space as part of Blue Origin's all-female space flight in April 2025, has opened up about her battle with depression following the backlash she received after participating in the much-publicized trip. According to Nguyen, she has been depressed since the flight due to an "avalanche of misogyny."
Astronaut Says Depression Followed Blue Origin Flight
Amanda Nguyen says her very public trip to the edge of space was followed by a plunge she didn't see coming. The 34-year-old Vietnamese American scientist and civil rights advocate, has revealed she fell into a deep depression amid what she calls a "tsunami of harassment" after her Blue Origin...
The all-female space flight is one of the most talked-about moments of the year. The public was not enthusiastic about the so-called space tourism, which made the crew members the target of criticism. As Amanda Nguyen wrote on her Instagram profile at the end of the year, she fell into depression because of the criticism. "Another dream that turned into a nightmare," she wrote, among other things.
Amanda Nguyen, who also participated in Jeff Bezos' much-criticized Blue Origin expedition in April, said in a recent Instagram post that she was hit with a tsunami of harassment after returning home, which she could barely process.
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