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Astronaut charged with kidnap attempt
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By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer
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.
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.
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