Thatââ¬â¢s true that a lot of people are acting out of character lately. I thought you heard about the astronaut wearing diapers. It was in the top news stories out here for quite awhile until the Anna story broke. Hereââ¬â¢s the story about Lisa Nowak.
On
February 5,
2007, Nowak was arrested at
Orlando International Airport on charges of attempted
kidnapping,
battery, attempted vehicle burglary with battery, and destruction of evidence. The
Orlando Police Department says she told investigators she was involved in a relationship with fellow astronaut
William Oefelein, with whom she trained, which she described as being "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship."
[7] She allegedly believed
U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman, who works as an engineer at
Patrick Air Force Base,
[8] was involved with Oefelein.
[9] In a handwritten request for a protective order against Nowak after her arrest, Shipman referred to Nowak as "acquaintance of boyfriend" but did not identify him and also claimed Nowak had been stalking her for two months.
[10] Shipman dropped her request for a protection order on
February 15.
[11]
pepper spray into the car. Shipman drove off to the parking lot booth where police were summoned.
[12]
The first police officer to arrive saw Nowak throw a bag containing a wig and a
BB pistol into the trash at a parking shuttle bus stop. She was arrested after Shipman positively identified her. The Orlando Police said Nowak had disguised herself during the assault by wearing a hooded tan trench coat and black wig and, along with the BB gun, was carrying a four-inch folding
buck knife, a new steel mallet, black gloves, rubber tubing, plastic garbage bags and about
US$600 in cash. In her statement to police, Nowak said she wanted to talk to Shipman and discuss their relationships with Oefelein. When asked if she thought the pepper spray was going to help her talking with Shipman, she replied, "That was stupid." During a search of Nowak's car parked at a motel, the police found a letter written by Nowak which they said "indicated how much Mrs. Nowak loved Mr. Oefelein," along with latex gloves, opened packages for both a buck knife and pepper spray, an unused BB cartridge, handwritten directions to Shipman's house, copies of e-mails from Shipman to Oefelein, and
diapers.
[13] The astronaut explained she had used the latter during the 900-mile (1400-km) drive from her home in
Houston, Texas to
Orlando so she did not have to stop to urinate (U.S. shuttle astronauts wear specially designed diapers during launch and re-entry).
[14] They also found receipts indicating Nowak paid only in cash during her trip from Houston, including for her hotel stay.
[15] Citing evidence of elaborate planning, disguises and weapons, police recommended she be held without
bail.
[9]
T-38 Talon jets to visit Nowak in jail and otherwise make contact with her:
[16] Christopher Ferguson, senior Naval Officer in the astronaut corps, went as Nowak's commanding officer, and retired Air Force Colonel
Steve Lindsey, who had commanded Nowak's Shuttle mission, went as chief of the NASA astronaut corps. On
February 6,
2007, both appeared before a judge on her behalf wearing brown leather jackets. The state attorney argued that the facts indicated a well-thought-out plan to kidnap and perhaps to injure Ms. Shipman.
[12] While arguing for pre-trial release Nowak's attorney remarked, ââ¬ÅOneââ¬â¢s good works must count for something.ââ¬Â Nowak was ordered released on $15,500 bail under the condition she wear a
GPS tracking device[17] and not contact Shipman.
Before Nowak could be released, however, Orlando police charged Nowak with attempted first-degree murder and announced she would not be released on bail. Her lawyer alleged that police and prosecutors, unhappy Nowak had been granted bail, pressed more serious charges solely to keep her confined to jail.
[18][19] In the second
arraignment Nowak was charged with attempted first degree murder with a deadly weapon, for which the judge raised bail by $10,000. After posting bail, Nowak was released from jail
[7] and subsequently placed on 30-day leave by NASA.
[20] She returned to Houston on a commercial airline flight the next day and reportedly was taken immediately under police escort to the Johnson Space Center for medical and psychiatric evaluation.
[21]
On
13 February, Nowak entered a written
plea of "not guilty" to the charges of attempted murder and attempted kidnapping.
[11] Nowak's attorney, who filed the plea with the Orange County court, has requested a
jury trial.
[22]
[13] Retired astronaut
Jerry Linenger expressed concerns about NASA's screening process, commenting that with plans for a 30-month trip to
Mars, it would be dangerous for someone to "snap like this" during a mission.
[23]
Former NASA psychiatrist Dr. Patricia Santy commented, "I really believe that NASA goes overboard in promoting how heroic and super all these people are. They themselves have forgotten these are ordinary people and in that kind of celebrity culture, there's a sense of entitlement." Space policy and history writer Howard McCurdy of
American University said, "The astronaut culture is still a carry over from 'The Right Stuff' days. It is very high intensity; it is very competitive."
[24]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Nowak