Crew Member Discloses Emotional Distress In the Wake of Wave of Harassment After Historic Trip

A Vietnamese-American astronaut has spoken candidly about her emotional downturn after facing a “tsunami of harassment” in the aftermath of a historic all-female space mission.

The 34-year-old activist – known as a researcher and activist – was part of the brief journey to space in April, which also carried 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 became the first Vietnamese woman in space, stated the vicious response overshadowed her achievement under an “avalanche of misogyny”.

“I said the emotional pain might endure for years,” she recounted in a public message, referring to a phone call from a mission companion in the days following the flight.

She portrayed the press attention and digital reaction as an barrage beyond typical human coping.

“I did not leave Texas for a week, unable to get out of bed,” she confessed. “Even a month on, a phone call ended with me hanging up, weeping uncontrollably.”

Buried Under Misogyny

The researcher, who has dedicated her work to female health science and operated research during the flight, said everything she had worked for – including her studies and years of training to the symbolic importance of her heritage – was overshadowed under the tide of sexist vitriol.

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

Her own dream of becoming an astronaut was deferred after an attack during her college days, 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 well-wishers whose messages of encouragement pulled her through. “You all saved me,” she affirmed.

She noted that even with the backlash, important benefits had resulted from the experience, including elevated attention for her scientific work and platforms for her activism.

The Historic Journey

The self-operating New Shepard rocket lifted off from its launch site in the spring, carrying the six-woman crew on a brief suborbital flight that passed the internationally recognized boundary of space.

The group of women also included experts in different industries.

The company behind the mission is a private space firm established by a well-known tech mogul.