Space shuttle astronaut arrested at OIA on attempted kidnapping, battery charges

Orlando Sentinel ^ | February 5, 2007 | Henry Pierson Curtis

[burzum]

A NASA astronaut is charged with attacking her rival for another astronaut's attention early Monday at Orlando International Airport, the Orlando Sentinel has learned.

Lisa Marie Nowak drove from Texas to meet the 1 a.m. flight of a younger woman who had also been seeing the male astronaut Nowak pined for, according to Orlando police.

Nowak -- who was a mission specialist on a Discovery launch last summer -- was wearing a trench coat and wig and had a knife, BB pistol, rubber tubing and plastic bags, reports show. Once U.S. Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman arrived, Nowak followed her to the airport's Blue Lot for long-term parking, tried to get into Shipman's car and doused her with pepper spray, according to reports.

[Titan Magroyne]

As in a catheter, yoikes!

[Mamzelle]

As soon as women trained as astronauts, this sort of thing got started in the neighborhoods close to the Johnson Space Center (is it still called that?). Infidelity and divorce among astronauts is much higher than in the general population--more like Hollywood behavior. Big ego, small character. Life Magazine kept a lot quiet.

[Rte66]

Her nickname is RoboChick. You'd think she wouldn't need the "nappy," as the BBC called it, lol.

[60Gunner]

Looking at her photo at the article, I would have to say that Meth may have been involved. Thats the only logical explanation I can come up with in this bizarre case........

I'm not so sure. Having seen more than my fair share of meth-heads, I am not seeing the classic hallmarks. Her teeth aren't rotted out of her head, and there are no scars on her face from picking her skin off.

Look, the bottom line is that this Naval Aviator has just completely ruined an otherwise illustrious career. This really breaks my heart: for the Navy and for her family. And yes, even for her. This is just sad beyond words.

[Lacey]

Off topic but does anyone know whatever happened with the Air Force woman who claimed she was kidnapped in Russia or the Ukraine?

[leadpenny]

Last I read, couple of weeks ago, she's in a heap-a-trouble. Can't remember the details.

[Rte66]

Yeah, it's still JSC. And Nassau Bay (as in "NASAw") still one of the residential areas around it. I remember when there was nothing there at all, as they were building it all.

That Hilton or whatever that first hotel was (not the Hilton down near there now) where all the national press stayed and where they broadcast from was just about the only other thing along NASA Rd 1 at first.

It was so exciting to watch it all, back then. We were so thrilled.

[Titan Magroyne]

I don't know about the tubing. Strangulation? Diapers can be used to sop up urine, but they can easily sop up blood, too. I wonder if dismemberment wasn't part of the plan. Is there a detective in the house? Unusually messy, but there's nothing usual about this woman, heh. Until the details come out, I'll go with someone else's guess at strangulation/asphyxiation with tubing and trashbags, maybe after some torture once she got the victim into her home. With all her prep work and driving instead of flying, I'm surprised she didn't bother with a real gun. She couldn't have thought she'd get away with "just scaring" the girl with that bag of goodies. Then again, perhaps I give the looney bird too much credit!

[Titan Magroyne]

Slings, you ain't here yet?I was, but you couldn't tell because I was wearing a wig.Rut-roh!

[Rte66]

Well, see, I'm too practical-minded and not criminally oriented.

TV guys said that the cops said it was for tying Shipman up for the kidnapping.

Nowak's the rocket scientist, I'm not!

[Rte66]

Oh, yeah - that little detail - she still had to get her back to Houston, lol.

*Goin' back to Houston, Houston, Houston.*

[Hot Tabasco]

I'm not so sure.

I'm not either......Could be she finally succumbed to the pressures of raising a family and pursuing a career and simply "cracked". She needs medical help at this point, not jail time.

Not implying anything in this post but a close friend of mine's brother developed schizophrenia in his mid 30's. At the time he was a highly motivated, college educated great guy. Ultimately lost everything, his house, his wife, his business and is now working minimum wage jobs in the small town where he lives. He also has to remain under close supervision to insure he takes his medication.......

Mental illness is a horrible thing and anyone can contract it at any given time in their life......

[Muzzle_em]

LOL!!! :-)

[Titan Magroyne]

Naw, she had written directions to the victim's house, much closer.

Then again, hmmmmmmmmm, did she have enough diapers for 2 on a return trip? That's when the nappies woulda made more sense. Stuff victim in trunk, gas up at noisy truckstops.

Pay cash for gas, pee in diapers - get your face seen by clerks and interior cameras anyway. But detectives have to track down the gas stops the old fashioned way, and that's after you've fallen under a cloud of suspicion that has the cops looking for *you* in the first place.

Pay for gas with card at the pump, pee in diapers - no face time with clerks, depend on outside camera tapes to be fuzzy recycles. But leaves an indesputible credit card trail.

Gosh, what to do, what to do.

[Flightdeck]

Have you worked for NASA? I have.

They have consulted me several times, yes.

I witnessed such gross incompetence, I was embarrassed to be associated with the group.

Any incompetence is mostly due to the PC hiring practices of the federal govt. and is largely confined to the insignificant busy work (which you were apparently surrounded by).

Where do you get your information? I'd suggest you get just a wee bit of information, before you flame. Are any of my examples wrong? Did we not loose 2 Shuttles due to incompetence? Did we not smash a Mars Lander into the planet surface, because of inept program managment?

I make statements based on my own experiences, and would be extremely surprised if your base of aerospace engineering knowledge approaches mine. And yes, nearly everything you wrote is wrong. No, we did not loose (lose?) half (first of all, two is not half of five) our fleet due to incompetence. It can be argued that the Challenger was lost due to poor/hasty decisions at the very top, but not on the ground. Columbia was a tragedy, the kind that happens when extremely complex spaceflight is attempted. The magnitude of success through every manned space program NASA has attempted is astounding and what makes many proud to be American.

On to your next feeble point, every single word you wrote concerning the English/metric debacle was incorrect and demonstrative of your ignorance. It was not a "Mars lander", it was a Mars orbiter. And it never "smashed into Mars". It is probably now orbiting the sun. And it wasn't NASA that made the mistake. It was Lockheed. Any questions?

Don't shoot the messenger, before you look at the message. It makes you look like a fool.

I think it is pretty clear now who the fool is here. You don't claim to be qualified to critique the work of a hear/lung transplant surgeon, do you? Then likewise, don't spout off about rocket scientists. It is when no-nothings like you get into Congress and make laws and dish out money and don't know jack sh*& about what they are talking about that causes productive and innovative people problems.

[Rte66]

I don't think Congress did *this one.*

[Huck]

Actually, two of the worst cities for breathable air are Houston and Dallas, down there in Texas. No city in NJ even made the top 20. So don't worry about that smell...it's your upper lip.

The most polluted US cities

Rank Smog:
The most polluted US cities Rank Particles:


1 Los Angeles (CA) 1 Los Angeles (CA)
2 Visalia-Porterville (CA) 2 Visalia-Porterville (CA)
3 Bakersfield (CA) 3 Bakersfield (CA)
4 Fresno (CA) 4 Fresno (CA)
5 Houston (TX) 5 Pittsburgh (PA)
6 Merced (CA) 6 Detroit (MI)
7 Sacramento (CA) 7 Atlanta (GA)
8 Hanford (CA) 8 Cleveland (OH)
9 Knoxville (TN) 9 Hanford (CA)
10 Dallas – Fort Worth (TX)

[MSM Hater]

[thinking]

I love it when women get into each other's hair...amazing what estrogen will do....

[thinking]

lol...and a full navy Captain as well!