Blue Origin Sends All-Women Crew Into Space

Nguyen became the first Vietnamese American woman, and the first Southeast Asian woman, to go to space.

(L–R) Jeff Bezos, Kerianne Flynn, Katy Perry, Lauren Sanchez, Aisha Bowe, Gayle King, Amanda Nguyen, Sarah Knights, director of Blue Origin's astronaut office, and Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp. Blue Origin via AP

Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen flew aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket with her historic all-female crew, from the West Texas desert across the Karman line on April 14, carrying with her the promise that she made to herself more than 10 years ago.

That promise was to one day travel to space after pausing her astronaut dreams to fight for civil rights, a promise symbolized on the flight by a piece of paper on which she had written, “Never, never give up.”