Psycho Stalker Astronaut
Meet Navy Captain Lisa Nowak. She was a graduate of Annapolis Naval Acadamy. As a Captain, she wears four stripes on her uniform and could have the command of either a small ship at sea or a small Naval Station. Had she been assigned to the Pentagon, she would have been involved in shaping policy. But instead, she wanted to be an Astronaut. And she flew a few space missions too.
Now she has likely thrown away her career in a foolish attempt to intimidate or possibly kidnap another female astronaut whom she believed was involved in a relationship with a male astronaut- an astronaut that she had a crush on.
From the AP here:
An astronaut drove from Houston to Florida, donned a disguise and confronted a woman she believed was romantically involved with a space shuttle pilot she was in love with, police said. She was 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.
Police said Nowak drove from her home in Houston to the Orlando International Airport ? wearing diapers so she wouldn’t have to stop to urinate ? 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.
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.
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.
If convicted of attempted kidnapping, Nowak could face a maximum of life in prison.
According to NASA’s official biography, Nowak is married with three children.
