Activist and researcher Amanda Nguyen, who flew on Blue Origin’s all-female spaceflight in April 2025, has admitted to suffering from severe psychological distress after the mission. After months of battling depression, she has reported feeling better and shared her experience of overcoming severe trauma.
Dream that turned into a challenge
In her Instagram post, Amanda revealed the deep depression that overwhelmed her after returning to Earth.
“Another dream turned into a nightmare,” she wrote. Nguyen described feeling that all her achievements – her scientific work, her historic status as the first Vietnamese woman in space – were “buried under an avalanche of misogyny” and hostile comments in the media.
A 34-year-old woman, the child of refugees who fled Vietnam by boat, felt like a “collateral victim.” She couldn’t get out of bed for weeks, and a month after the flight, she couldn’t speak through her tears during a call from a Blue Origin employee.
Despite her experiences, Amanda emphasized the positive outcomes of the mission. The flight drew attention to her breast cancer research and helped achieve the goal of using science as a tool for diplomacy. She recalled the symbolism: when Neil Armstrong was on the moon, bombs were falling on Vietnam, and now her family had seen a Vietnamese woman in space.
“We arrived in boats, and now we are in spaceships,” she wrote.
The road to recovery
Eight months later, Nguyen felt that “the fog of grief had begun to lift.” In her diary, she wrote, “I am happy to report that my depression is gone.” She concluded that the past never completely leaves us, but she is proud that she kept her promise to fight for her dreams and focus on kindness.
“The best gift this season is that I feel the fog lifting. I can say that it won’t take years,” Amanda Nguyen summed up.
Earlier, we reported on how a space tourist “saw death” after flying on New Shepard.
Provided by eonline.com
