So by now you’ve probably heard that a NASA astronaut evidently blew a fuse and is under arrest for kidnapping another woman. Yeah, you read that right.
This story is about as bizarre as it can be. Lisa Marie Nowak, a NASA Shuttle mission specialist who flew to the space station last year (and who is also a Navy captain) has had some sort of crush on a fellow astronaut for some time. I am not too sure this is all that clear yet, but apparently she felt that another woman was moving in on this guy. So she decided to kidnap the other woman… which meant driving 1500 kilometers from Houston to Orlando to capture her at the airport.
The story gets weird from there.
She put on a diaper so that she wouldn’t have to stop for bathroom breaks. She was caught with a wig, a trenchcoat, a BB gun, latex gloves, and pepper spray when she accosted the other woman in the airport parking lot. She’s being held without bail (as my friend Wheatner points out, "I suppose that’s reasonable when the suspect could potentially leave the planet.")w
It is seriously tempting to laugh at all this, but then I read that she is married and a mother of three children. That’s a big bucket of ice water thrown on this situation. But I can’t help wondering what the atmosphere is like at NASA Public Affairs right now.
If you want more info, this story is everywhere. The Orlando Sentinel has a lot of details, as does the LA Times. But a search on Google News will turn up lots more. I’m at an astronomy meeting right now (these things always seem to happen when I don’t have easy access to the ‘net) but I’ll try to stay on top of this.
February 6th, 2007 at 10:24 am
Apparently thee ARE green-eyed monsters in outer space.
February 6th, 2007 at 10:26 am
It’s sad that something like this should happen.
I have to wonder if NASA has a staff of pychologists at hand for astronauts to open up to about problems like this?
Given that she’s married, I wonder if her husband showed that he loved her enough.
I hope no politician gets antsy about NASA over this and asks for more funding to be cut.
February 6th, 2007 at 10:45 am
The “Right Stuff” is still human stuff at the end of the day.
February 6th, 2007 at 10:49 am
I guess when you take away the budget for NASA you lose out on things like psychological exams…
February 6th, 2007 at 10:51 am
I’ll try to stay on top of this.
Phil, whould you like to rephrase that
February 6th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Wow, I just read about it on CNN before popping over here to see if the BA had any news on it.
Looking at her mugshot and views of her at the hearing compared to earlier photos there is a big difference.
I really worry for her family and wonder how they are handling this. (Also can’t help but speculate on if there were problems at home or just the opposite.) Also, I don’t want to understate how much this sucks for the Astronaut who was accosted at the airport and peppersprayed through her car window. You just wonder “Wow”, and if there were warning signs or if it was a sudden snap.
February 6th, 2007 at 11:02 am
Well, NASA certainly didn’t need this kind of bad press; I hope that people don’t think that this incident is indicative of all of the astronaut corps.
I have to echo feelings of concern for the families of everyone involved. What a shame and a waste this whole thing is. But I’m glad that it didn’t end more tragically!
February 6th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Take a deep breath here, folks. Jealousy and infidelity can happen in any profession — just look at the incidences in the armed forces, among preachers, teachers, doctors, lawyers, truck drivers, etc.
this is a woman bites dog story — breathlessly told because she’s a NASA astronaut. The question to ask is not how it hurts NASA, but why is this front-page news? Because sex sells — look at the Evangelical preacher who’s also front-page news today, claiming to have been ‘cured’ of his gay tendencies.
I’m not worried about NASA — they’re like any other agency/company/organization — there’s bound to be some misbehavior in the ranks. What I do worry about is that this will be used as some misguided way to keep women from being astronauts. Why isn’t the male shuttle commander being examined for his role in this, too?
Bad news for the families, though.
February 6th, 2007 at 11:21 am
There are some things you just don’t see coming.
February 6th, 2007 at 11:34 am
kingnor said, “There are some things you just don’t see coming.”
You think Sylvia Browne did?
I’m disappointed. I would have expected a more sophisticated and elegant plot, like when a little girl on South Park managed to get a substitute teacher she didn’t like shot into the Sun.
February 6th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Now she’s being charged with attempted murder.
February 6th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Well I’ll tell you why it’s front news: it’s not something you hear everyday (Seriously, I never heard such a story before. WOAH.), and astronauts are sorta public personalities. Public personalities go up front all the time as soon as they step out of the line.
…That said, hot damn wow, that’s pathetic!
February 6th, 2007 at 11:41 am
To me this raises the question: what sort of psychological profiling and testing goes on for potential astronauts. Not that this sort of thing would necessarily be caught..
Imagine if instead of acting out this way she’d been on the shuttle with the guy she had the crush on and acted out in a mission-critical moment.
February 6th, 2007 at 11:44 am
She has only been *charged* with attempted kidnapping and attempted murder. Let’s all remember that she’s innocent until proven guilty, folks.
February 6th, 2007 at 11:50 am
ASTRONAUTS ARE MADE OF PEOPLE
February 6th, 2007 at 11:51 am
Another thought: I’m also waiting for the other shoe to drop and some misogynist to declare this as evidence that women are “too emotional” to be trusted as astronauts.
February 6th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Get a life, John. There are a hundred times more men that lose it and murder over jealousy than women.
February 6th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
Added: I realize you were being sarcastic, but still, repeating stereotypes that are as distorted as the claim women are more emotionally labile than men needs commenting on.
The claim is based only on perceived showing of emotion rather than real emotional instability. For whatever reason, anger and violence are ignored as consideration for “too emotional” while an occasional show of tears is given over-consideration.
February 6th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I’ve already heard one of my Boston radio announcers say that he hopes this will end NASA’s “pointless” space shuttle program. What a dink!
February 6th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Indeed. Perhaps the unnamed Boston radio announcer should concentrate more on keeping his local government from investigating lite-brites and less on eviscerating NASA.
February 6th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Further, actually, there’s a lot of focus on her being an astronaut and very little on her being a Captain in the Navy. Perhaps we should stop funding the Navy as well? :p
February 6th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
She has only been *charged* with attempted kidnapping and attempted murder. Let’s all remember that she’s innocent until proven guilty, folks.
I disagree.
Although she may be found, after the trial, technically innocent of the criminal offences of attempted murder and kidnapping, it is not in dispute that she tried to capture someone against their will and attempting to kill that person. Those facts are not in dispute.
So although she can be presumed innocent of criminal intent until proven guilty, it is silly to presume her innocent of the acts. She is not, and should not be treated as such.
February 6th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
You know, the innocent until proven guilty stuff… that’s for the court and media. We mere citizens can still say “she did this and that” in a conversation without having to go through all the justice speech protocols…
February 6th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
I remember following that mission last year and thinking it was a good thing that competent astronauts could also be cute women and with a family above all, I was impressed.
Not like that Sasquatch currently beating record after record of spacewalking… I’m evil.
February 6th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
skeptigirl, what the heck is wrong with you? John is on the same side you are. He was wondering when some idiot would bring up the stereotype.
Instead you come along and lend support to the stereotype. Nice going.
February 6th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Nasa needs more astronauts like this. That’s right I said more!
The fact is that the shuttle and station program are a bit problematic and NASA has not been exactly inspirational in the way it used to.
This, I believe, is because NASA is looking for the wrong people: guys with beards from MIT, and people with 8 doctorates who wear rugby shirts. Now, don’t get me wrong, education is important, but when you need astronauts (or test pilots) you need to find people who are really gritty and a bit nutty.
You need to find people who are willing to lie to the medical officer about their broken ribs so they can break the sound barrier, guys who will deck anyone who calls them a coward even in the 70’s. Mission control is supposed to have crew-cuts as the mandatory hair cut, and bonus points for women who get one. I want to see thin ties, and overflowing ashtrays. We need astronauts who will fly with urine soaked pants because the flight is delayed and people who are nutty enough to run out to the pad and stick their head under the exhaust nosily to check for leaks on a fueled rocket.
Who is with me on this????
February 6th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
“ these things always seem to happen when I don’t have easy access to the ‘netâ€
Er… on a sample of how many?
February 6th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
We’re with you, Dr. Buzz!
Sign us up, we’re willing to pee in our pants!
Kisses,
Bo’fus.
February 6th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
skeptigirl: I wasn’t saying it was the case. I was making the cynical observation that someone, sooner or later, will make that argument.
I’m on your side here, honest!
February 6th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
It’s like if Tonya Harding was an astronaut.
And skeptigirl, you should re-read John’s original comment, and then apologize to him.
February 6th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
Get off skeptigirl’s back. John Armstrong made the “cynical observation that someone, sooner or later, will make that argument” and all skeptigirl did was point out that John Armstrong beat them to the punch.
February 6th, 2007 at 4:30 pm
We think there may be something in the water in Clear Lake (where JSC is). I agree with Spacewriter’s comments - this is getting so much attention because there are astronauts involved, iow, higher class educated people - just makes it all more salacious and intriguing. The incident with the woman dentist running over her dentist husband at the motel he was cheating on her at got a lot of publicity, too. That lady was from Clear Lake also. There are so many crimes of passion or domestic violence incidents that happen every day in the US, but we hear little of them.
But, yeah, it’s bizarre behavior and she obviously became obsessed with the guy, and hence irrational. It takes 17 hours to drive from Houston to Orlando (I’ve done it several times, but geesh, I stop in Quincy, FL for the night!) No wonder she looks so bleary-eyed and wrecked. You kind of wonder what’s been going on at home and if her husband noticed strange behavior. It’s too bad really; if she’s convicted of anything I would think NASA would fire her, just as my company would fire me if I was convicted of a felony…it’s just policy. But this is no reflection on NASA - it’s just somebody going bonkers over love/obsession. Really a shame, but it can happen to anybody.
February 6th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
“Why isn’t the male shuttle commander being examined for his role in this, too?”
He doesn’t appear to have played any role in this at all.
February 6th, 2007 at 4:57 pm
MarshallDog wrote:
“I’ve already heard one of my Boston radio announcers say that he hopes this will end NASA’s “pointless†space shuttle program. What a dink!”
Yep. Especially if a ‘dink’ is like a ‘dag’ or ‘dropkick’ I agree. I fair dinkum agree in fact, mate.
It’d be a shame if that theme - absolutely void of reason - gained credence.
From what I see, NASA send exemplary human beings to manage examples of human kinds most astonishing achievements. Very, very talented and trained by equally talented people. Not ’super-human’ beings. They do have military backgrounds and we know huge demands and stress levels do at times lead to headline grabbing [and illegal] behavior.
I imagine the commitment to train, and actually be selected for a mission would be difficult to estimate - from a psychological point of view. This is somewhat borne out with colleagues supporting her, and expressing ‘concern’ over ‘health’ immediately - not distancing themselves in any way.
If [we?] fans of space exploration really got our ‘wish’ granted - fund NASA and space science equal to military commitments - and numbers rose accordingly, we’d soon hear of more ’scandal’.
Hmmm, I wonder if there’s funding for researching the stress outcomes of working in underfunded space programs…? \:-]
February 6th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
The snarksters over at Defamer are already casting the “you know it’s going to happen…” Lifetime movie.
(Link is not for the dark humor challenged)
http://defamer.com/hollywood/casting/defamer-casting-toni-collette-expecting-a-call-for-spacesuit-and-adult-diaper-fittings-234331.php
February 6th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
WWWWWait a minute… before we jump to conclusions…
What do we really know about Shipman?
She may not be the “innocent” victim she is made out to be?
What did she do during the confrontation? Did she try to run Nowak over before she got maced?
Let’s get the facts out before we jump to conclusions…
Some good investigative journalism of what Shipman is about and what she did is in order….
February 6th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Sara: so it’s better I not think ahead to what people I disagree with might say? Let’s take it out of the politically charged arena; is it better that Dr. Plait not know what a moon-landing-denier is likely to say before it’s said?
Anyhow it’s all as maybe. A friend of mine saw that exact point made on the Fox Noise Channel while she was working out this afternoon.
February 6th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Ok, so forget the motives or rational behind the mace incident, just look at the behaviour and then ask yourself.
Is the shielding on the Shuttle and Space Station up to scratch?
I think not!!!!!!
I hope she was an NRA member. God bless America.
February 6th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
I’m a bit lost Dutchy. What does the NRA, and wishing some diety grants favor upon the US, have to do with the subject?
February 6th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
Dutchy,
You are correct! It’s the shielding…and this is the key to her defense strategy: Post Space Flight Traumatic Stress Disorder or PSFTSD for short. It was caused by well documented faulty tiles that allowed cosmic rays from CMEs (coronal mass ejections) to penetrate Astronaut’s brains (and other hormonally charged parts) and disrupted her “normalcy.”
If that doesn’t work, I recommend the “Twinkie” defense which involves dehydrated space food irradiated by gamma ray bursts (GRBs).
…And then there’s always the tile glue fumes thing…..or maybe not.
February 6th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Mesuline,
Clara Harris was not from Clear Lake City, she was from Friendswood, though the murder happened in my town, Nassau Bay. A different water supply too.
It has been quite fun listening to all the new reports. It is amazing how extremely ignorant the major news organizations of what NASA does and how the astronaut corps works.
By far Bill O’Reilly was the best (at not knowing anything). He spent his entire interview with ex-astronaut Mike Mullane asking about NASA rules and regulations regarding astronaut behavior. I got the impression he believes that NASA is run like the military. Lot’s of question regarding fraternization, telling your superiors where you are going. If he had read or had one of his research read Mike Mullane’s book, he would have known the answers to his questions.
CNN wasn’t much better. Lots of questions about how NASA evaluates the astronauts mental conditions and the usual psychological mumbo jumbo.
So far it has been an interesting day.
February 7th, 2007 at 5:56 am
Don’t we have enough bizarre love triangles on “Battlestar Galactica?”
February 7th, 2007 at 6:37 am
Melusine
Maybe there is something in the water. I see that I’ve screwed up your name badly again.
February 7th, 2007 at 6:45 am
They never should’ve stopped that quaranteen period after returning to from space.
Next thing you know, they’ll think a bar of soap is ice cream!
SPACE MADNESS!
*must*not*quote*New*Order*
February 7th, 2007 at 6:47 am
Sorry, that’s how I know the word should be spelled despite the dictionary lying to the world and saying it is spelled “quarantine”.
February 7th, 2007 at 7:21 am
“It is seriously tempting to laugh at all this…” No, I’m afraid it wasn’t. Nowak was also carrying in her vehicle what amounted to a “murder kit”: garbage bags, several pairs of latex gloves, a Buck knife with a 4″ blade, several feet of rubber tubing, Google maps to get her to the airport and Internet downloads giving her the layout of the airport and the shuttle schedule, and a steel mallet, among other accoutrements. Adding in her frantic drive, parking her personal vehicle several miles from the airport, the disguise, registering in a hotel under a ficticious name and using only cash on the trip to avoid a paper-trail, she has been charged with attempted murder. The arrest report can be seen on The Smoking Gun.
February 7th, 2007 at 7:58 am
Attempted murder seems probable, but may be a hard one to prove in a court.
All I am referencing from is my experience in college when I worked in a Psych Hospital to help pay tuition. A patient took 8 metal casters off of the bottoms of the bed and put them in a sock thus making a 4kg flail with which to cave in my skull. I defending myself with the metal chart rack and eventually fled to the security office. This weapon caved in the chart rack, shattered the reinforced glass windows into the office… and all the police would do was charge the teen with assault. They said he would have actually had to of struck my head and I somehow have lived for them to go as high as attempted murder and have any chance at sticking. And an aside, he wasn’t there because of mental illness. He was arressted for 3 counts grand theft auto and assaulting a police officer, and in his cell faked a suicide attempt to get transfered to a physc facility because he thought it would be easier to escape. I know I’m off topic but I thought I would finish the story that the bridge of attempted murder, which spans the gulf between things like kidnapping and assult to the other side of manslaughter and murder is kind of a tricky bridge to pin down. . . and its kind of fun to share the “The time someone almost killed me on purpose” story of my life with complete strangers.
good ice-breaker.
February 7th, 2007 at 8:04 am
As the media focuses on this tragic Earth-bound event,
meanwhile, in space, another female astronaut does
something important - and it is mainly ignored:
Sunita Williams Sets Women’s Spacewalking Record
February 5, 2007 by Fraser Cain
Astronaut Sunita Williams during the first EVA. Image credit: NASA
Astronauts Mike Lopez-Alegria and Sunita Williams spent another day in space on Sunday, continuing the process of switching over the International Space Station’s power and cooling systems.
Spacewalks are pretty important in themselves, but during the journey outside, Williams broke the record for the most time spent spacewalking by a woman.
The primary goal of the journey outside the International Space Station was to hook up the new permanent cooling system. Since a tiny amount of ammonia leaked out during the first spacewalk, NASA had the astronauts take extra precautions. It could be dangerous to the astronauts if it got into the station’s air system.
This latest spacewalk lasted more than 7 hours, and brought William’s total time to 22 hours and 27 minutes. This record should get broken again in a few days when Williams heads outside again for a third and final spacewalk within 9 days on February 8th.
http://www.universetoday.com/2007/02/05/sunita-williams-sets-womens-spacewalking-record/
February 7th, 2007 at 9:21 am
Ausrick said:
> Also can’t help but speculate on if there were problems at home or just the opposite.
According to media reports, Nowak is separated, Oefelein is divorced, and Shipman is single. Still, you gotta feel for the children.
Evolving Squid said:
> Although she may be found, after the trial, technically innocent of the criminal offences of attempted murder and kidnapping, it is not in dispute that she tried to capture someone against their will and attempting to kill that person. Those facts are not in dispute.
Actually, they are. The facts not in dispute are that she stalked Shipman, that she chased Shipman, that she attempted to get into Shipmans’ car and sprayed Shipman with pepper spray. She also had various supplies and weapons, had collected maps and such, and had traveled 2000 miles and paid cash. Registered in a hotel under a false name and was wearing a disguise. Those are the facts. The explanations created to explain what she intended are speculation. So we really do need to keep straight the accusations from the confirmed.
> So although she can be presumed innocent of criminal intent until proven guilty, it is silly to presume her innocent of the acts. She is not, and should not be treated as such.
She should be treated as accused, not as guilty, especially for the speculations about her intents.
Make no mistake, I read the arrest report for the murder charge and the list of materials found, and I think those speculations have strong footing. But don’t throw around speculations as facts.
Drbuzz0 said:
> We need astronauts who will fly with urine soaked pants because the flight is delayed and people who are nutty enough to run out to the pad and stick their head under the exhaust nosily to check for leaks on a fueled rocket.
Fly with urine soaked pants because flight is delayed, okay. Drive with urine soaked pants to stalk a romantic rival? No.
And the Soviets tried that “stick their head unter the exhaust on a fueled rocket” thing - it took out the launch tower and ground crew, including the bigwig under the exhaust.
Ahruman said:
>“ these things always seem to happen when I don’t have easy access to the ‘netâ€
>Er… on a sample of how many?
Phil’s posted several times in the blog about stories he couldn’t follow closely because he is at some conference or other. Sure, this is the first of these type events, but there have been other situations.
Mick said:
>>“Why isn’t the male shuttle commander being examined for his role in this, too?â€
>He doesn’t appear to have played any role in this at all.
You are correct, there’s no evidence or accusation that Oefelein had anything to do with the planning or execution of the stalking, assault, and whatever else. That was purely on Nowak. The broader question is about his culpability in encouraging the situation. From what I gather, he was dating Shipman and had some sort of friendship with Nowak. It is not clear how romantic that involvement was, nor is it clear whether he encouraged her romantic feelings. Either way, there’s a far cry from a guy dating two chicks at once and one trying to assualt/kill the other. It’s called responsibility for your own actions. But yes, the police are definitely questioning him about his relationships to understand what happened. That was reported by OrlandoSentinel.
Smith… said:
> WWWWWait a minute… before we jump to conclusions…
> What do we really know about Shipman?
She may not be the “innocent†victim she is made out to be?
What did she do during the confrontation? Did she try to run Nowak over before she got maced?
Let’s get the facts out before we jump to conclusions…
I think you need to get your facts straight. There’s been no mention of Shipman trying to run over Nowak before or after getting pepper-sprayed. Nowak followed Shipman, Shipman got nervous and ran to her car, Nowak approached crying, Shipman rolled down her window, and then Nowak sprayed her. Shipman drove away.
Is she innocent? Do we have any reason to think she isn’t?
Yes, we should wait for facts and not rush to judgment, but throwing out wild speculation the other way doesn’t help, either.
February 7th, 2007 at 9:47 am
Excellent post, Irishman.
February 7th, 2007 at 10:03 am
I want to write the Lifetime movie.
Tales Of Tragic Romance… In Spaaaaaaaaaace!
One starstruck woman and her weightless quest for cosmic love!
Or we’ll just call it Fatal Attraction II
February 7th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Although it looks bad for Astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak, a re-reading of the alleged list of alleged items found in her car, are, I think, circumstantial, at least some of them anyway. If you were contemplating travelling halfway across the country, most of those items would be normal and handy, and anybody could have similar, or even more dangerous items already packed. Have a look in your own trunk, or glove box, and consider. It depends when, and if they were purchased together.
I’m not defending her for her actions, but the Police charge sheet on her, read of desperation to nail her.
Phil, I’m also surprised that your title for this item in today’s blog is one I would not care to defend in court.
“NASA astronaut charged with kidnapping”.
In none of the references I checked, including the News reports, was there a mention of actual kidnapping, only a suggestion of ‘attempted Kidnapping’. And ‘attempted Murder’. True, she did stalk the victim, using the wig and trench coat, and did spray the chemical. She did drive 900 miles effectively non-stop, (what size gas tank did she have, if she did not want to stop, even for a toilet break? And she timed it to rendevous with the flight, strangely I think from Houston too. (Though I’m not sure, but I think I read that somewhere, and can’t find the reference just now).
I would suspect she was un-hinged, and driven (?) to it by severe stress bought on by the recent event in her life - namely the separation from her husband, and presumeably children. She needs care and certain understanding, not the mis-informed claptrap that passes for opinion based on personal agendas that have nothing to do with the facts.
That the NASA colleagues appear to be surrounding her is heartening, as she will need all the help she can get. I doubt that she has job security though, least of all in the Shuttle for which she had been trained. A great pity, but then there may be other circumstances not divulged yet, which could show a different picture.
I do wish her well though.
Ivan
February 7th, 2007 at 10:31 am
>>John Armstrong: I’m also waiting for the other shoe to drop and some misogynist to declare this as evidence that women are “too emotional†to be trusted as astronauts.
February 7th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Oops, sorry… forgot that this blog doesn’t like brackets:
–(John Armstrong: I’m also waiting for the other shoe to drop and some misogynist to declare this as evidence that women are “too emotional†to be trusted as astronauts.)–
I understand what you’re saying by this. While we here are perfectly aware of men’s and women’s equal ability and potential to become astronauts, some NASA-naysayers will take a smug satisfaction in some perceived superiority.
Rather like if a scientist happened to be discovered pursuing a personal agenda, or if a major scientific fact got adjusted, it would give certain people the impression that science is flawed.
When I first heard the story (on Yahoo, unfortunately), my first thought was: thanks for representing, Nowak.
February 7th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
More proof that, as the wacky professor used to say,” Peoples is der craziest critters.”
Just because someone is a public figure doesn’t mean they’re not prone to the same kinds of insanity as everyone else.
I feel sympathy for her family and I really wish the media would just shut up,,,
Gary 7
February 7th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Isn’t there a way we can blame G. W. Bush for this. He is the leader of the nation and has control over everything.
February 7th, 2007 at 6:09 pm
I feel moved to protest the case of the unnamed Boston radio announcer. Obviously I did not hear his comments first hand but the quote was ‘he hopes this will end NASA’s “pointless†space shuttle program’
That would put him in complete agreement with me, most of my aero-engineer friends, and the guys on wikipedia that posted so much bile that a separate ‘criticism of the space shuttle’ page has now been created.
In short my position is that the shuttle program was too badly warped by political manuvering, destroyed an existing family of good launch vehicles, retarded development of private sector launchers, convinced the world that going to space is insanely expensive, AND continues to drain money away from ‘good’ science every minute it keeps on existing.
February 7th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
After reading a short biography about the suspect, I realized that knowing the names of each and every astronaut is a very difficult task. When the United States picked it’s first seven astronauts, NASA did not have to push press releases to remind the american public who was being trained to reach outer space. When a Mercury astronaut was on a real mission most everyone knew the name of who was floating above the Earth.
My point, is this: It is a sad day for NASA when one remembers the name of one of it’s current astronauts due to a possible crime being committed. 1986 and 2003 were years that 14 astronauts died during their missions. I cannot remember the names of all 14 of them (without looking it up) can you?
Television shows like CSI are popular today. Shows about science and astronauts are not. Lets get real for once. The American Public does not really care if we return to the lunar surface or accomplish the first flight to the planet Mars.
This all reminds me of HAL the computer losing it’s mind and trying to destroy the crew.
I hope that the defendant has a crack legal team to navigate through all the motions that are going to be filed on her.
February 7th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
Must quickly point out that I DO NOT think that one astronaut going bughouse is a rationale for canning a program. Just that I agree that the program is pointless.
February 7th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
But hey- shows like CSI tell you all you need to make science cool:
High speed zooms that merge to CGI!
I am aware that the science in CSI is probably not great, but still- this is a show about LAB GEEKS! And people love it.
I’d say there is hope yet.
February 8th, 2007 at 12:30 am
[…] I mean, if I don’t get a grip, it’s enough to make me want to get in a car and drive 900 miles in a diaper. […]
February 8th, 2007 at 2:26 am
I can’t believe there are 62 comments on this topic. No wonder this stuff fills mainstream news. It clearly sells.
February 8th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I never posted my post! JR, we in Houston-proper tend to call that whole area including your town Clear Lake (and heck, you border it!) It was a stupid comment anyway. I should also correct that it takes me 15 hours to drive to Orlando (17 to Vero Beach). Still, after 12 hours I’m bleary-eyed.
I’m not surprised O’Reilly was being an idiot - he’s the reason I first posted on a forum on the Internet; his research has often been awful, wrong, or superficial. I don’t watch FOX anymore, but I gave it a look last night. On Greta they had the border on the bottom titled “Lust in Space” and to the right a moon with “Lunar Love Triangle” superimposed on it. How pathetic.
I feel badly for her friends and family, because naturally they are worried about her state of mind. Luckily no one was hurt, including Lisa. It’s unfortunate and sad that whatever stresses she’s been going through, or whatever caused this psychosis or delusional state had to come about this way. Let alone for it to be public in this fashion. I’m sure she will get good care, and I hope prison isn’t the outcome of this.
Skeptigirl, I think it’s interesting in that it’s interesting to me in general how any normally sane person “snaps” like this, especially to this extent. Stalking is not unusual after rejection for both men and women alike, and people exhibit all sorts of bizarre behaviors during divorce, but this was quite an effort on her part. I’d like to know the psychological factors involved, but not because she’s an astronaut (I don’t think that has any bearing on it). I have found comments about NASA or women in space to be repugnant. And for NASA to say they would review their psychological testing, etc., was actually more than I expected. She wasn’t in space.
Interesting how they study the astronauts’ diaries from the ISS. Who’s to say one of them can’t snap at some time. You never know.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16888212/
February 9th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Thanks Melusine, for the link to msnbc as above, but no thanks. Though I did find some of the material informative, it was no more than had been available elsewhere, and yesterday.
Off topic though, I was very disappointed with MSNBC and their poor layout, and in one instance, a no-show of an item. They did repeat five other items and ads for the 90 minutes I checked, meanwhile saying that they were “preparing that item in a format for my system”! I guess it is because it is all too new for them, not yet up with the other news online video services.
Oh for standardisation. Do we have to again go through a format war a la VHS/Beta?
Back on topic, I’m pleased to see the general consensus seems to be understanding Ms Nowak, and maybe pity, while not condoning her actions. I think a few more facts will emerge. As usual, innocent people are going to be hurt, not only by the original action and those closest, but the wild accusations by others who should know better and keep quiet.
Ivan.
February 10th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Yeah, Ivan, I read the article elsewhere, too, but was lazy and took the first link I googled merely to illustrate an added point. MSNBC is terrible to link to-as with its affiliate Newsweek - the pages load way too slowly and there’s too much. I don’t read their site regularly because I find it so annoying. Good point. I promise I won’t link MSNBC again!
Because this issue has a local flavor, there were many editorials about this, but I think this doctor said exactly what I thought:
February 10th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
>>and there’s too much.
Didn’t finish that properly…there’s too much junk on the page and ads in the middle of articles drive me batty. (And I forgot to close my blockquote tag, too.)
February 10th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
From my office, I had a great view of the news helicopters circling JSC with their relatives, the buzzards. Thursday there were at least 3 around at one time. I can’t imagine what they thought they’d catch on tape - Nowak circling the parking lot to pull a Clara Harris? I think she’s been placed on leave until this matter is addressed.
February 10th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Melusine, yeah, we typically call the whole area “Clear Lake” down here, too. I think jrkeller was trying to point out the flaws in your claim “there must be something in the water”. The details only matter when they’re relevant.
February 10th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Irishman, I didn’t realize you were in the Clear Lake area, too. Yes, she was placed on leave, and still has an ankle bracelet on, as far as I know. I saw that neighborhood friends brought food and blinds over to her house. I happened to leave CNN on and the turd Glenn Beck is going on about her being free to roam around and could be a danger to herself. First, she’s not alone, secondly, she has a GPS monitoring device, and thirdly, I’m sure she was given Xanax or Ativan or something similar and sleeping pills, at the very least. He is also clueless about obsessive behavior.
New pundits ugh…it’s no wonder that I mostly stick to the upper 100+ channels these days. (Except for the Comedy Channel, of course.)
Enjoy the rest of the weekend’s cruddy weather!
February 11th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Melusine,
Thanks for the Clear Lake article??!?! I especially like the title,
“Clear Lake getting reputation for bizarre female criminals” Prior to the article coming out, my ex-wife had pointed that out too. Don’t forget that Anna Nichol Smith was born in Houston too.
I’m a bit surprized by Glenn Beck. He’s been a pretty good supporter of NASA and I’ve seen him make fun of the moon hoax crowd to their faces. But I guess this really isn’t a NASA issue. I think I heard somewhere where her parents came down. So she’s not alone.
When it comes to the Clear Lake Area water thing, I was trying to make a joke. In general I would say that Clear Lake includes everything south of Ellington to Clear Lake, east of I-45, west of Galveston Bay. I would also include any city that’s on Clear Lake.
Irishman,
I noticed the vulture thing too. I was leaving NASA just as it happened. I wish I had my camera. I could have won an award. I would have had the perfect juxtaposition.
February 15th, 2007 at 9:52 am
What make and model car does a crazed astronaut use for a two day mission to boldly seek out her rival? With Ford’s down-turn, it may turn into a fincial boom of an indorcement. Did she stop for gas or did she refuel? Do I see a book deal/movie?
March 7th, 2007 at 6:52 pm
I know this is all serious stuff to think about, but seriously, I’d say she went after the wrong person. It wasn’t the new girlfriends fault. The real jerk in this, in my opinion, is the guy. Maybe she should have gone after him.
March 11th, 2007 at 4:22 am
God site. Thanks!
June 2nd, 2007 at 12:43 pm
[…] just learned that Lisa Nowak, the astronaut who, um, took a little cross-country jaunt to, um, have a chat with a fellow […]
August 6th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Would everyone please stop talking about Lisa Nowak; she is not, and never was, a civil servant, neither is her private life any of your business. She remains, as she was throughout her astronaut career, a Navy officer. She is someone’s wife, someone’s mother. In the above article, it is incorrectly stated that Lisa kidnapped Shipman. There was an alleged incident in a car park, and that is all. No kidnapping took place and Captain Nowak was not at any time during her car journey wearing diapers. Two of the other astronauts from STS-121 have betrayed Lisa in public with what I believe is unfair criticism. One is the twin brother of the Commander of STS-118, which Lisa originally began training for in 1998, and which was subsequently delayed by the Columbia accident. These people should stick together and not criticise fellow astronauts in public. Lisa was CapCom on STS-114 Return to Flight 1, and her mission STS-121 was the second RTF mission. Lisa Nowak is intelligent and gifted, and deserves respect. What the masses fail to realise is that astronauts are human beings, not superheroes. This is a product of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo culture, from the days when astronautics was part of the cold war.
August 6th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
David, that’s a nice sentiment and all, but the last comment posted was two months ago, and the original post I made is now 5 months old, so we had indeed effectively stopped talking about it until you brought it up again.