NASA astronaut held without bail

raytri · #1 (**permalink**) 02-05-2007, 08:15 PM

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A NASA astronaut is being held without bail after police say she attacked her rival for another astronaut's attention at Orlando International Airport Monday.

Lisa Marie Nowak drove more than 12 hours from Texas to meet the 1 a.m. flight of a younger woman who had also been seeing the astronaut Nowak pined for, according to Orlando police....

Reports show that after U.S. Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman's flight arrived, Nowak followed her to the airport's Blue Lot for long-term parking, tried to get into Shipman's car and then doused her with pepper spray.

Nowak, 43, is charged with attempted kidnapping, battery, attempted vehicle burglary with battery and destruction of evidence. Police considered her such a danger that they requested she be held without bail in the Orange County Jail, reports show.

A married mother of three, Nowak told police that she was "involved in a relationship with," Bill Oefelein, another NASA astronaut, which she categorized as "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship," according to the charging affidavit.

And in the "information I wish I didn't have" department:

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Nowak -- who was a mission specialist on a Space Shuttle Discovery flight last summer -- was wearing a trench coat and wig and had a knife, BB pistol, and latex gloves in her car, reports show. They also found diapers, which Nowak said she used so she wouldn't have to stop on the 1,000-mile drive.

What a way to throw away an opportunity most never get. Look at this resume:

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Nowak's biography shows she is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis with a degree in aerospace engineering, and a former test pilot who has logged more than 1,500 hours of flight in at least 30 types of aircraft.

She joined the space program in 1996. Three members of her astronaut class died in the 2003 shuttle Columbia disaster.

The12thMan · #2 (**permalink**) 02-05-2007, 08:37 PM

http://www.astronautix.com/astros/nowak.htm

http://www.astronautix.com/astros/oefelein.htm

Look's like they're both married. Couldn't find a bio for Shipman. I admit I was looking for pics of Oefelein. He's nice-looking but not THAT nice-looking.

I wish I could see some kind of doubt about her guilt. Really a shame.

Diapers? No. There are some things worse than gas station restrooms.

raytri · #3 (**permalink**) 02-05-2007, 08:48 PM

Did you see Nowak's booking photo on my link? Not quite so good-looking. Maybe driving 1,000 miles in diapers will do that to you.

The12thMan · #4 (**permalink**) 02-05-2007, 08:59 PM

I think being arrested for attempted kidnapping etc. will do that to you too.

BB gun, knife, trench coat, wig, steel mallet, rubber tubing, directions to the target's house and diapers. Just your basic kidnapping kit. Everyone should have one.

DuH2 · #5 (**permalink**) 02-05-2007, 10:29 PM

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What a way to throw away an opportunity most never get. Look at this resume

But she already went into space.

Unless you just meant generally..
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Johnderondon · #6 (**permalink**) 02-06-2007, 12:53 AM

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Originally Posted by The12thMan";p=&quot

Look's like they're both married.

Odd. BBC has him as single.

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Nasa biographies list Capt Nowak as married with three children and Cmdr Oefelein as single with two children. The pair never flew together.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6333975.stm

Sounds like the poor lady has has some mental issues, maybe? To flip so far over a relationship that never was. Sad.

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In the affidavit, Ms Nowak describes her attachment to Cmdr Oefelein as "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship".

Thank goodness her victim escaped serious injury. Don`t like the sound of that mallet and knife.

apotropoxy · #7 (**permalink**) 02-06-2007, 05:26 AM

What do you suppose she was planning to do with that knife and those garbage bags?

VolvoDriver · #8 (**permalink**) 02-06-2007, 06:53 AM

[quote="raytri";p="339231"]Bizarre.

Quote:

A married mother of three, Nowak told police that she was "involved in a relationship with," Bill Oefelein, another NASA astronaut, which she categorized as "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship," according to the charging affidavit.

The scary thought is if she went that far for a "less than romantic relationship", what would she do if there was an actual romantic relationship? The mind boggles.