AMANDA NGUYEN
Astronaut, Activist, And Writer
After the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act she helped orchestrate was passed unanimously in Congress, the astronaut, activist, and writer was nominated for a Nobel Prize. This year, she’s preparing to be the first Vietnamese woman to fly into space.
WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT? Throughout my life I am constantly faced with two burning questions: What is my place in the universe? And what am I going to do about it? I’m answering the first question by flying to space and the second by fighting for civil rights here on Earth.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF IN YOUR INDUSTRY? LESS OF? More open conversations about gender-based violence and more support for survivors who have had to step away from their work in STEM because of gender-based and sexual violence. A 2018 National Academies of Science report found that half of women faculty and staff, and up to half of women students, have experienced sexual harassment. Gender-based violence continues to be a barrier for women in STEM, and I hope that we can work toward a future where everyone feels safe in science.
“"At the crossroads of justice or my astronaut dreams, I chose justice. When I decided to write the federal Survivors’ Bill of Rights, I had to put my dreams of being an astronaut on hold."”
DESCRIBE A RECENT CROSSROADS AT WHICH YOU FOUND YOURSELF. At the crossroads of justice or my astronaut dreams, I chose justice. When I decided to write the federal Survivors’ Bill of Rights, I had to put my dreams of being an astronaut on hold. It was one of the hardest decisions I ever made. But, I knew that space would always be there and that one day I’d come back. I’m so grateful that all of this led me here—I’m preparing to launch into space for the first time.
WHO DO YOU CALL THE MOST? I have a group of friends called the Space Sisters. They are incredible women who have all flown to space. Whenever one of us needs advice on this shared journey, it’s the first place we go. We discuss everything—our experiences around space and science, but also as women in the world.
in your life?
