Amanda Nguyen, a 34-year-old Nobel laureate and civil rights activist, recently spoke about her own experiences in the public arena to raise awareness. This tribute follows her groundbreaking voyage on board Blue Origin’s space flight. On her mission, Nguyen became the first Vietnamese woman, and first woman of color, to travel to space. Her flight was unique in that it included the likes of pop star Katy Perry and Lauren Sánchez, wife of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.
The brief 11-minute spaceflight was a lavishly publicized victory lap for female firsts in the aerospace field. It soon became eclipsed by a tsunami of anger aimed at Nguyen in the immediate aftermath of the flight. Despite her significant accomplishments, she faced what she described as an “onslaught no human brain has evolved to endure.”
Nguyen’s road to this moment has not been an easy one. After being raped during her time in university, she shelved her dream of being an astronaut. Rather than heal her own wounds, she poured her energies into fighting for justice. Her commitment to safeguarding the civil rights of sexual assault survivors has made her a trailblazer, as well as someone highly respected and admired. During her years-long campaign, she’s labored relentlessly to affect positive change and to empower others in similar situations.
However, though she achieved these successes, the backlash that ensued after her space flight proved to be extremely detrimental to her mental health. She shared that she “could not leave Texas for a week” and was “not able to get out of bed. In the wake of this, the harassment caused a heavy emotional toll on Chaya. A month later, when a senior staff member from Blue Origin finally did get through, she started sobbing and hung up on him, unable to speak.
During the Blue Origin flight, Nguyen conducted numerous experiments focused on women’s health, further demonstrating her commitment to science and advocacy. While she noted that the experience itself was indeed life-changing, the harassment that followed ensured that it was tough to take in that way.
In reflecting on her loss, Nguyen said, “We were buried under an avalanche of misogyny.” This claim reflects not only her individual experience, but exposes the systemic oppression women still face today. She expressed gratitude to her followers and friends for their amazing support. Eight months on from the flight, she wrote that the “fog of grief has begun to clear.”
The Blue Origin mission was made up of a diverse crew, including aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe as well as film producer Kerianne Flynn. Despite the trials she faced, Amanda Nguyen remains committed to her work and continues to inspire others through her resilience and advocacy for civil rights.