Overview
- Nguyen, a bioastronautics researcher and civil‑rights activist, became the first Vietnamese woman to reach space on April’s 11‑minute Blue Origin NS‑31 mission.
- She wrote that the backlash produced “billions of hostile impressions,” describing an onslaught of misogyny that left her feeling like “collateral damage.”
- Nguyen said she could not leave Texas for a week and later hung up on a senior Blue Origin staffer because she was unable to speak through tears.
- The flight, which included Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe and Kerianne Flynn, drew criticism over cost, environmental impact and the role of private celebrity flights.
- Despite the harm, she said the mission elevated her women’s‑health research, expanded her advocacy access with world leaders, and eight months later she reports the “fog of grief” is lifting.