Amanda Nguyen Goes To Space

Being an astronaut is one of those dream jobs children aspire to. However, this out-of-this-world ambition often gets traded for more down-to-earth pursuits as those children grow up. Despite this, the allure of space never died for Amanda Nguyen, who called her Blue Origin flight “a dream deferred,” after she took a detour from this path to fight for the rights of rape survivors and women around the world. 

What Is Amanda Nguyen Known For?

While attending Harvard as an undergraduate, Nguyen interned at NASA and pursued the study of astrophysics. Inspired by her parents who were Vietnamese war refugees, she credits her connection to the stars to their brave escape from their homeland, where her mother used the stars to navigate their boat. 

In 2021, during her final semester, Nguyen was raped and thrown into a challenging legal landscape, when she chose not to immediately press charges. Although there is a 15-year statute of limitations in Massachusetts, she found that the rape kit she took would be destroyed after six months if she did not report the crime. Although extension requests could be made, the need to file for the request creates an unnecessary burden for survivors. 

Ignited to fight for justice, Nguyen paused her dream of becoming an astronaut to advocate for survivors’ rights. Her activism led to the unanimous passage of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act in Congress, on-going advocacy for state-level legislation that mirrors the Act, and a global resolution in 2022 at the United Nations General Assembly addressing survivors’ rights during peacetime. While working as the Deputy White House Liaison for the U.S. Department of State, she launched Rise, a nonprofit civil rights organization, in 2024 to advocate for, train, and empower survivors. 

What is the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act?

Also known as the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act of 2016, the U.S. legislation establishes rights and prAlso known as the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act of 2016, the U.S. legislation establishes rights and provisions for survivors of sexual assault and rape and was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The key aspects of the bill grant survivors the right to have:

• Rape kits preserved for the duration of the statute of limitations or 20 years, whichever is shorter;
• Be notified before their rape kit is destroyed and be provided updates on forensic examination results;
• Free medical forensic examinations; and
• Access to information about their rights and the policies affecting their case throughout the legal process.

Furthermore, the law emphasizes that survivors should be treated with respect by all professionals, such as law enforcement and medical personnel, raising the bar for those handling the sexual assault cases.

When Did Amanda Nguyen Go to Space?

After making great strides for sexual assault survivors around the world, Nguyen was ready to honor the person she was, a child who dreamed of the stars. In 2021, she returned to her passion and lifelong dream by becoming a scientist astronaut candidate at the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences.

In February 2025, Blue Origin, a private aerospace company started by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced that Nguyen would be joining the NS-31 crew. The flight, scheduled for April 14, 2025, was a historic moment for Nguyen, who was partially sponsored by Space for Humanity, and the crew, as she became the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman in space as part of the first all-female spaceflight since 1963. (The last all-female space flight was, in fact, a solo mission with Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becoming the first woman to do so.)

Nguyen is not the first Asian American woman in space. She follows in the footsteps of Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian American in space who went on missions in 1997 and 2003, and Sunita Williams, who has spent over 322 days in space after missions in 2006 and 2012. Tragically, Chawla lost her life in the Columbia disaster in 2003. 

In the future, Jasmin Moghbeli, an Iranian American astronaut, will be taking part in NASA’s Artemis program.

Who Went on This Historic All-female Flight?

Prior to the flight, actor Olivia Munn criticized the Blue Origin NS-31 mission as an extravagance in the background of rising grocery prices and an environmental concern, as the company moves closer to commercial sPrior to the flight, actor Olivia Munn criticized the Blue Origin NS-31 mission as an extravagance in the background of rising grocery prices and an environmental concern, as the company moves closer to commercial spaceflight. In fact, Nguyen was the only astronaut on the flight — although the term astronaut is getting broader, since Blue Origin calls all those who complete suborbital flights astronauts. 

Those who joined Nguyen on this historic flight included:

• American singer-songwriter Katy Perry
• Journalist Gayle King
• Former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe
• American film producer Kerianne Flynn
• Bezos’ fiance Lauren Sánchez

It is worth noting that Nguyen was the only one who completed astronaut-specific training. While at the International Institute of Astronautical Sciences, she underwent rigorous training that included high-G-force simulations, hyperbaric chamber experiences, and coursework in advanced science and mathematics, and graduated at the top of her class. 

While most of the crew was simply engaging in space tourism, Nguyen and Bowe were completing experiments during the 11-minute spaceflight.  

What Experiments Did Amanda Nguyen Conduct?

As a trained science astronaut, Nguyen conducted three science experiments during Blue Origin’s NS-31 mission.

1. Her first experiment examined the impact of microgravity (i.e., the reduction of gravity; what is sometimes called zero gravity, although that term is a misnomer) on seeds, specifically of the brassica rapa species, which originate from Southeast Asia.
   • Nguyen partnered with the Vietnamese National Space Center and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
   • April 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam-U.S. war, making this experiment and spaceflight a symbol of reconciliation between the countries, with science as a tool for peace. 
   • The brassica rapa species includes turnips, komatsunas, napa cabbages, bomdongs, and bok choy.
2. Her second experiment was a continuation of Nguyen’s research to find better menstruation sanitation materials for use in space.
   • Still today, almost 90% of astronauts are men. Historically, women were not allowed to become astronauts because of menstruation and concerns that microgravity would cause negative effects to the natural bodily process.
     • One fear was called retrograde menstruation, which according to NPR, was the idea that “Blood might flow up the fallopian tubes into the abdomen, causing pain and other health problems. No one actually did any experiments to see if this really would be a problem, so there weren’t any data to support or refute these fears.”
     • A failure to understand menstruation biology led to the iconic moment where astronaut Sally Ride was provided 100 tampons for a one-week flight. 
   • The leading approach is to focus on reducing the effects of menstruation through the use of contraceptives, some of which can stop menstruation altogether. However, Nguyen’s research, in partnership with the MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative and the Philippine Space Agency, is focused on finding safe and effective external devices and materials to manage menstruation without the need of medication. 
3. Nguyen’s third experiment is to test a wearable ultrasound patch so that astronauts can be monitored without a radiologist present.
   • In partnership with the MIT Media Lab Women’s Health Initiative, this experiment would lead to developing a wearable garment that could detect changes in muscles and bones as well as spine elongation.
   • For space exploration, monitoring these bodily changes is important due to the increased risk of radiation and skeletal changes in microgravity. 
   • On Earth, this technology could lead to early detection of breast cancer through constant monitoring. 

Quotes by Amanda Nguyen 

“To me, that moment was my full circle healing journey, one that I hope any survivor, or just anyone whose ever had a dream deferred, can know that you will heal, you will make it through, and your miracle is just around the corner,” Nguyen told “CBS Mornings.”

“Justice to me comes in different forms, and for my personal journey, justice was about going to space,” Nguyen said. “For a decade, I gave up my astronaut dreams in order to fight for the rights of gender-based violence survivors.”

Why Amanda Nguyen Matters for Asian Americans

Amanda Nguyen’s story links two powerful themes in Asian American life: representation and advocacy. As a Vietnamese American civil rights activist, she transformed her own trauma into the federal Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act, proving that individual voices can reshape national policy. At the same time, her return to space science keeps Asian Americans visible in fields where they remain under-represented.

By bridging STEM and social justice, Nguyen shows that being Asian American is not one-dimensional; one can fight for survivor rights in Congress while pushing the boundaries of human exploration. Nguyen journey and career is living proof that pursuit of justice and pursuit of scientific discovery can exist in the same orbit.

Images courtesy of Rise. Cover illustration generated by Chat GPT o3.