Female US Astronaut Arrested, Charged with Attempted Kidnapping

[Guest]

Whoa - this is wacky!!

I knew being an astronaut was rough, but come on!
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Astronaut charged with kidnap attempt

By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago



ORLANDO, Fla. - An astronaut drove 900 miles and donned a disguise to confront a woman she believed was her rival for the affections of a space shuttle pilot, police said. She was arrested Monday and charged with attempted kidnapping and other counts.

U.S. Navy Capt. Lisa Nowak, 43, who flew last July on a shuttle mission to the international space station, was also charged with attempted vehicle burglary with battery, destruction of evidence and battery. She was denied bail and is scheduled to make a court appearance Tuesday.

Police said Nowak drove from her home in Houston to the Orlando International Airport to confront Colleen Shipman.

Nowak believed Shipman was romantically involved with Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein, a pilot during space shuttle Discovery's trip to the space station last December, police said.

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 officers recovered a love letter to Oefelein in her car.

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.

When she found out that Shipman was flying to Orlando from Houston, Nowak decided to confront her, according to the arrest affidavit. Nowak raced from Houston to Orlando wearing diapers so she wouldn't have to stop to urinate, authorities said.

Astronauts wear diapers during launch and re-entry.

Dressed in a wig and a trench coat, Nowak boarded an airport bus that Shipman took to her car in an airport parking lot. 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. Nowak then sprayed a chemical into Shipman's car, the affidavit said.

Shipman drove to the parking lot booth, and the police were called.

During a check of the parking lot, an officer followed Nowak and watched her throw away a bag containing the wig and BB gun. They 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.

Inside Nowak's vehicle, which was parked at a nearby motel, authorities uncovered a pepper spray package, an unused BB-gun cartridge, latex gloves and e-mails between Shipman and Oefelein. They also found a letter "that indicated how much Mrs. Nowak loved Mr. Oefelein," an opened package for a buck knife, Shipman's home address and hand written directions to the address, the arrest affidavit said.

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 Sgt. Barbara Jones, a spokeswoman for the Orlando Police Department. "It's just really a very sad case. ... Now she ends up finding herself on the other side of the law with some very serious charges."

If convicted of attempted kidnapping, Nowak could face a maximum of life in prison.

It was not immediately known whether Nowak had an attorney.

Oefelein and Shipman did not immediately return phone messages Monday night.

According to NASA's official biography, Nowak is married with three children. During her 13-day mission in July she operated the robotic arm during three spacewalks.

Oefelein is unmarried. He piloted the space shuttle Discovery in December. He has two children, according to a NASA biography.

Nowak and Oefelein were both first-time fliers during their shuttle missions last year. They trained together but never flew together.

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"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[Butters 0]

Please tell me that is a joke ... please.

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[kallend 2,026]

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Please tell me that is a joke ... please.

Nope.

How would you like to be confined in a space shuttle with this one?

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[Butters 0]

She had the mental and physical abilities to become an astronaut and participate in a space mission but lacked the reasoning abilities to determine this was not appropriate ...

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[quade 4]

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She had the mental and physical abilities to become an astronaut and participate in a space mission but lacked the reasoning abilities to determine this was not appropriate ...

Not really certain what to say here.

People do weird things when they're under the influence of hormones. I'm not excusing it . . . but I understand it.

If YOU haven't done something completely insane and unreasonable under the influence of hormones . . . I almost feel sorry for ya!

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[pfloyd 0]

I bet this crazy lady is pretty kinky in the bedroom if you know what i mean

My drinking team has a skydiving problem

[warpedskydiver 0]

I heard her tongue will orbit uranus.

[Buffs303 0]

I love the two photos of her. In one, she looks like an intelligent astronaut and in the other she looks like a white trash lady who went psycho.

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42538000/jpg/_42538571_pair.jpg

http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/42538000/jpg/_42538565_nowap.jpg

Swoop and Poop....my favorite things to photograph

[wmw999 2,442]

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I love the two photos of her. In one, she looks like an intelligent astronaut and in the other she looks like a white trash lady who went psycho.

Remember that when you look at other mug shots and pictures of movie stars... It's easy to look at a mug shot and think "he must be guilty."

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[Buffs303 0]

Quote

Quote

I love the two photos of her. In one, she looks like an intelligent astronaut and in the other she looks like a white trash lady who went psycho.

Remember that when you look at other mug shots and pictures of movie stars... It's easy to look at a mug shot and think "he must be guilty."

Wendy W.

That is why the Media is so wonderful. They can take a picture of a wholesome (guy/girl), then find a photo of when they look terrible and it makes all the difference in public opinions. (BTW- most of the celebrities are guilty of the stupid shit they pull and from the article this lady is obviously guilty of being psychotic) She drove 1000 miles to confront a lady of being interested/sleeping with a man that isn't even her own lover or husband (yeah...shes married). Look in the dictionary- thats the definition of PSYCHO.

Swoop and Poop....my favorite things to photograph

[freethefly 6]

Read about this astronut yesterday. Garbage bags and a knife...hmmmm.... wonder if she planned on cutting her "rival" up and then disposing of her... what a psychonaut

"...And once you're gone, you can't come back
When you're out of the blue and into the black."
Neil Young

[ExAFO 0]

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"...psychonaut..."

That seems to be the internet meme that has caught momentum. Heh. Funny.

She's fooked.

Illinois needs a CCW Law. NOW.

[Zipp0 1]

Quote

Quote

Quote

I love the two photos of her. In one, she looks like an intelligent astronaut and in the other she looks like a white trash lady who went psycho.

Remember that when you look at other mug shots and pictures of movie stars... It's easy to look at a mug shot and think "he must be guilty."

Wendy W.

That is why the Media is so wonderful. They can take a picture of a wholesome (guy/girl), then find a photo of when they look terrible and it makes all the difference in public opinions. (BTW- most of the celebrities are guilty of the stupid shit they pull and from the article this lady is obviously guilty of being psychotic) She drove 1000 miles to confront a lady of being interested/sleeping with a man that isn't even her own lover or husband (yeah...shes married). Look in the dictionary- thats the definition of PSYCHO.

Unless your a total sociopath, like Tom Delay. That cold blodded bastard smiled like it was his birthday in his mug shot.

I agree about this chick in the bedroom. I bet she's freaking wild. I bet she's wishing she would have done without the diapers now though.

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Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[kallend 2,026]

Quote

Quote

She had the mental and physical abilities to become an astronaut and participate in a space mission but lacked the reasoning abilities to determine this was not appropriate ...

Not really certain what to say here.

People do weird things when they're under the influence of hormones. I'm not excusing it . . . but I understand it.

If YOU haven't done something completely insane and unreasonable under the influence of hormones . . . I almost feel sorry for ya!

Surely the screening process is supposed to weed out people like this. We all have hormones but most of us refrain from this type of behavior once we reach adulthood.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[quade 4]

Quote

Surely the screening process is supposed to weed out people like this. We all have hormones but most of us refrain from this type of behavior once we reach adulthood.

O'rly?

I understand what you're trying to say, and common sense would agree with you, but . . .

Seems to me that most people don't have the means to do stuff like this UNTIL they reach adulthood.

And since it does happen quite frequently . . . there ya go.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Shawndiver 0]

[sundevil777 102]

What did Delay do that deserves the label sociopath?

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[Shotgun 1]

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Surely the screening process is supposed to weed out people like this.

Perhaps she lied when they asked her whether she would ever consider driving across the country wearing a diaper to kidnap her lover's girlfriend.

But seriously, it's pretty hard to predict what people might do in the future. I know that Buzz Aldrin was hospitalized for depression shortly after his moonwalk, and he was later treated for alcoholism. If he had been in that condition when he applied to the space program, he wouldn't have been accepted. So obviously he passed NASA's screening process, but people change...

[ryoder 1,590]

I was just thinking...perhaps computers-gone-haywire isn't what we should really be worrying about:

Quote

Dave: Open the pod bay doors, please, Helen ...Open the pod bay doors, please, Helen...Hullo, Helen, do you read me?...

Helen: Affirmative, Dave, I read you.

Dave: Open the pod bay doors, Helen.

Helen: I'm sorry, Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that.

Dave: What's the problem?

Helen: I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do.

Dave: What're you talking about, Helen?

"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

[Zipp0 1]

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Surely the screening process is supposed to weed out people like this. We all have hormones but most of us refrain from this type of behavior once we reach adulthood.

[Butters 0]

Quote

Quote

Quote

Surely the screening process is supposed to weed out people like this. We all have hormones but most of us refrain from this type of behavior once we reach adulthood.

You would think so, it would really suck to wake up finding yourself floating out the shuttle airlock because your mission crewmember is PMS'ing...

Yes, but the shuttle crew gangbangs were probably off the chain!

For some reason I don't think this woman is into gangbangs.

"That looks dangerous." Leopold Stotch

[Zipp0 1]

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What did Delay do that deserves the label sociopath?

From Wiki:

incapacity to experience guilt or to profit from experience, particularly punishment;
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Delay_Mugshot.jpg
marked proneness to blame others, or to offer plausible rationalizations, for the behavior that has brought the patient into conflict with society.

"DeLay denounced the charges as a "sham" and an act of "political retribution," perpetuated by his opponents. "

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Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[Zipp0 1]

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For some reason I don't think this woman is into gangbangs.

A few RBV's and they're ALL into gangbangs....

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Chuck Norris doesn't do push-ups, he pushes the Earth down.

[dorbie 0]

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If YOU haven't done something completely insane and unreasonable under the influence of hormones . . . I almost feel sorry for ya!

It's just a wild guess but I'd estimate that most of us don't don't go tooling up for kidnap and murder, and implement the plan with such determination at the urging of our hormones. It's just staggering to put this down to that, I wonder if you'd say the same if it was a guy. I'd say her victim was damned lucky.

This case really saddens me, someone has gone from the pinnacle of human achivement to less than zero and the bell tolls for us all, but it's a damned good thing that she was thwarted and caught.

There's a sober reminder for us all about the human condition in this tale.

[billvon 2,990]

>someone has gone from the pinnacle of human achivement . . .

Don't know if I'd describe astronauts that way. Very high cool factor. But in terms of what they achieved - I can think of a lot of people who have done more.