a diaper wearing, bb-gun touting female astronaut goes psycho in love-triangle

Astronaut charged with kidnap attempt

By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press

ORLANDO, Fla. - A NASA astronaut charged with attempting to kidnap a
romantic rival in a love triangle with another astronaut was allowed
to go free on bail Tuesday on the condition that she not contact the
alleged victim.
ADVERTISEMENT

The judge told Lisa Marie Nowak she could be released on $15,500 bond,
then asked if she understood the conditions. She responded "yes."

Nowak, a married mother of three, stood in a jail uniform, looking
down during most of the hearing. She planned to return home to
Houston, and the judge ordered her to wear a tracking device.

The 43-year-old robotics specialist faces charges including attempted
kidnapping, attempted vehicle burglary with battery, destruction of
evidence and battery.

Police said she drove 900 miles, donned a disguise and was armed with
a BB gun and pepper spray when she confronted a woman she believed was
a competitor for the affections of Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein, an
unmarried fellow astronaut.

Nowak rode aboard Discovery in July. Oefelein, 41, piloted the space
shuttle Discovery in December. They trained together but never flew
together.

Nowak told police that her relationship with Oefelein was "more than a
working relationship but less than a romantic relationship," according
to an arrest affidavit. Police found a love letter to Oefelein in her
car.

According to authorities, Nowak believed another woman, Colleen
Shipman, was romantically involved with Oefelein. When Nowak found out
Shipman was flying to Orlando from Houston, Nowak decided to confront
her early Monday, according to the arrest affidavit.

Nowak raced from Houston to Orlando wearing diapers in the car so she
wouldn't have to stop to go to the bathroom, authorities said.
Astronauts wear diapers during launch and re-entry.

Dressed in a wig and a trench coat, she waited for Shipman's plane to
land and then boarded the same airport shuttle bus Shipman took to get
to her car, police said. Shipman told police she noticed someone
following her, hurried inside the car and locked the doors, according
to the arrest affidavit.

Nowak rapped on the window, tried to open the car door and asked for a
ride. Shipman refused but rolled down the car window a few inches when
Nowak started crying, the statement said. Nowak then sprayed a
chemical into Shipman's car, the affidavit said. Shipman drove to the
parking lot booth and police were called.

An officer reported following Nowak and watching her throw away a bag
containing the wig and BB gun. Police also found a steel mallet, a 4-
inch folding knife, rubber tubing, $600 and garbage bags inside a bag
Nowak was carrying when she was arrested, authorities said.

Two other astronauts attended the hearing. Steve Lindsey, commander of
Nowak's Discovery flight last July, testified that Nowak would obey
the conditions of her release.

Chris Ferguson, a pilot on the mission, also attended the hearing.
Asked afterward about Nowak's behavior, Ferguson said "perplexed is
the word I'm sticking with."

Oefelein and Shipman, who the Houston Chronicle said worked at Patrick
Air Force Base near the
Kennedy Space Center, did not immediately return calls seeking
comment.

NASA spokesman James Hartsfield in Houston said that, as of Monday,
Nowak's status with the astronaut corps remained unchanged. "What will
happen beyond that, I will not speculate," he said.

Hartsfield said he couldn't recall the last time an astronaut was
arrested and said there were no rules against fraternizing among
astronauts.

Police said Nowak told them that she only wanted to scare Shipman into
talking to her about her relationship with Oefelein and didn't want to
harm her physically.

"If you were just going to talk to someone, I don't know that you
would need a wig, a trench coat, an air cartridge BB gun and pepper
spray," said Orlando police Sgt. Barbara Jones. "It's just really a
very sad case."

According to NASA's official biography, Nowak is a Naval Academy
graduate who has a master's degree in aeronautical engineering. She
has a teenage son and younger twin girls.

Oefelein has two children and began his aviation career as a teenager
flying floatplanes in Alaska, according to a NASA biography. He
studied electrical engineering at Oregon State University and later
earned a master's degree in aviation systems at the University of
Tennessee Space Institute. He has been an astronaut since 1998.

___

Associated Press writers Kelli Kennedy and Jessica Gresko in Miami
contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070206/...onaut_arrested

On Feb 6, 10:12 am, "AirRaid" wrote:

Nowak, a married mother of three,

Probably not married much longer...

Austin

Well... she's a great candidate for a political office.

If that doesn't work out, since she's a pilot she could
haul freight.

On Feb 6, 10:44 am, ktbr wrote:
Well... she's a great candidate for a political office.

If that doesn't work out, since she's a pilot she could
haul freight.


She can ask for an airplane with extra long range and no bathroom on
board.

Something serious must have happened to her, is all I can think. She's a
retired friggin' Navy Captain?!

Her mugshot looks like one of those anti-methamphetamine campaign posters.
She's beyond just fruitbat crazy; she's broken.

-c

On Feb 6, 5:27 pm, "gatt" wrote:
Something serious must have happened to her, is all I can think. She's a
retired friggin' Navy Captain?!

Her mugshot looks like one of those anti-methamphetamine campaign posters.
She's beyond just fruitbat crazy; she's broken.

-c

RIght on... As a physician the thing that caught my attention was the
difference in appearance and body language between the two shots: her
in a pressure suit a short time before, and her mug shot after... The
mind and body are a single unit and the fact that her mind has a
terrible malfunction is directly reflected in her facial and body
language appearance...
It is likely that she is (was) for years a high functioning, bipolar
affective disorder, case... When their manic state is caught/focussed
on a goal they can be productive to the extreme, literally able to
work day and night... Sooner or later thay all become irrational,
however...

denny

"Denny" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Feb 6, 5:27 pm, "gatt" wrote:
Something serious must have happened to her, is all I can think. She's a
retired friggin' Navy Captain?!

Her mugshot looks like one of those anti-methamphetamine campaign
posters.
She's beyond just fruitbat crazy; she's broken.

-c

RIght on... As a physician the thing that caught my attention was the
difference in appearance and body language between the two shots: her
in a pressure suit a short time before, and her mug shot after... The
mind and body are a single unit and the fact that her mind has a
terrible malfunction is directly reflected in her facial and body
language appearance...

Both pictures were of her in a pressure suit. There was no mug shot (in the
article I saw with two pictures).

On Feb 7, 8:30 am, "Matt Barrow" wrote:
"Denny" wrote in message

oups.com...





On Feb 6, 5:27 pm, "gatt" wrote:
Something serious must have happened to her, is all I can think. She's a
retired friggin' Navy Captain?!

Her mugshot looks like one of those anti-methamphetamine campaign
posters.
She's beyond just fruitbat crazy; she's broken.

-c

RIght on... As a physician the thing that caught my attention was the
difference in appearance and body language between the two shots: her
in a pressure suit a short time before, and her mug shot after... The
mind and body are a single unit and the fact that her mind has a
terrible malfunction is directly reflected in her facial and body
language appearance...

Both pictures were of her in a pressure suit. There was no mug shot (in the
article I saw with two pictures).- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Uhh, can't tell you where it was... I did a quick google on her
yesterday and skimmed several articles... One showed her photo-op in
her pressure suit in 2006... In this she is a gorgeous lady, calm
appearance and body language, very sure of herself... The mug shot
that many of us saw was a huge contrast, she looks 20+ years older,
strained, the cords in her neck standing out, twisted body position,
etc...
(I'm ignoring the wild hair as that could be the result of her strip
search where they back comb the hair for contraband)
Just a textbook case of a psychotic break... Possibly schizophrenic
but I cannot make that diagnosis without more information...
Do a search on her and look at the various news articles - one or more
should show the mug shot...

denny

Matt Barrow wrote:
RIght on... As a physician the thing that caught my attention was the
difference in appearance and body language between the two shots: her
in a pressure suit a short time before, and her mug shot after... The
mind and body are a single unit and the fact that her mind has a
terrible malfunction is directly reflected in her facial and body
language appearance...

Both pictures were of her in a pressure suit. There was no mug shot (in the
article I saw with two pictures).


The pictures are all over the internet. She looks like somebody fresh out of
the trailer park arrested for ax murdering half of the community. Frankly, her
mug shot makes her look like a crack whore. I say that without humor.

It's absolutely amazing that a person who graduated from Annapolis, who reached
the rank of captain in the US Navy, a Naval Aviator and Astronaut.... could
suffer such a total break from reality. Life as she knows it is over. It's a
real shame.

I remember wondering if she has a tumor when I first read about this. I still
wonder. She had the world by its tail....




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
mschnerdatcarolina.rr.com

Denny wrote:

On Feb 6, 5:27 pm, "gatt" wrote:

Something serious must have happened to her, is all I can think. She's a
retired friggin' Navy Captain?!

Her mugshot looks like one of those anti-methamphetamine campaign posters.
She's beyond just fruitbat crazy; she's broken.

-c


RIght on... As a physician the thing that caught my attention was the
difference in appearance and body language between the two shots: her
in a pressure suit a short time before, and her mug shot after... The
mind and body are a single unit and the fact that her mind has a
terrible malfunction is directly reflected in her facial and body
language appearance...

I thought she just looked like she needed a diaper change. :-)

Matt