Nguyen became the first Vietnamese woman to travel to space when she joined Flight NS-31 in April. The short round-trip mission to the edge of space also included singer Katy Perry, broadcast journalist Gayle King, philanthropist Lauren Sánchez, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
While the flight was celebrated as a milestone for women in space, it also sparked backlash. Critics questioned the cost of the mission and the growing role of private companies in space travel. According to Nguyen, the reaction quickly became overwhelming.
In a lengthy statement shared on Instagram on Sunday, December 28, Nguyen revealed that the “aftermath of the spaceflight” sent her into a deep depression. She recalled telling King that the emotional impact “might last for years.”
Nguyen said she felt her years of professional training, research, and dreams were “buried under an avalanche of misogyny.” She described the level of media attention as unprecedented, explaining that even a small amount of negativity became crushing at such a massive scale.
“It amounted to billions of hostile impressions — an onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure,” she wrote. “I felt like collateral damage, my moment of justice mutilated.”
The scientist shared how deeply the experience affected her daily life. She said she did not leave her home in Texas for a week because she could not get out of bed. Even a month later, she struggled to speak without breaking down in tears.
Despite maintaining a strong public image, Nguyen admitted she was suffering privately. Still, she emphasized that not everything to come out of the experience was negative.
“There has been overwhelming good that has come out of this,” she wrote.
Eight months later, Nguyen says she is finally beginning to heal. She credited her recovery to the support of her community, her friends, and reconnecting with her roots.
“Vietnam saved me. My friends who continually checked in on me saved me. The love of my community saved me. You all saved me,” she wrote.
Nguyen also thanked those who made an effort to highlight her scientific research and activism, ensuring her achievements were not overshadowed by controversy.
In reflecting on the past year, Nguyen said she had to lean on a familiar strength — the resilience she developed as a survivor earlier in her life.
“How horrible that I needed to deploy that skill once again,” she wrote.
Ultimately, Nguyen said the experience taught her that people never fully leave behind their past selves. Even so, she is proud that she stayed true to her values and chose kindness in the face of what she described as a “tsunami of harassment.”
As the year comes to a close, Nguyen shared a hopeful update.
“It is the greatest gift this holiday season that I can feel the fog lifting,” she wrote. “I can tell Gayle it’s not going to take years.”
Tags:
News
