I find it disturbing that she remains an O-6.
I concur. Considering the circumstances of how she became an ex-astronaut, being an ex-Navy Captain should also follow. What a legacy, she’s probably the first ex-astronaut that couldn’t land a speaking engagement in front of her hometown’s Chamber of Commerce, much less the fanfare, state dinners, and conventions that usually follow current and ex-astronauts (as well as the myriad of six-figure PR and scientific consulting jobs that they have the pick of). If this is America’s best and brightest, the selection process needs a serious overhaul.
I find it misguided that they made her take anger management classes. Anger management helps a person with impulse control problems. It’s not an impulse when you go to Home Depot and purchase a dozen items specifically thought out to restrain, incapacitate, and kidnap a person, then get in a car and drive for 900 miles to do it. And, she did it while wearing NASA diapers so that she could do the trip without being delayed by bathroom stops on the way there. That level of premeditation and single-mindedness is deeply disturbing. I’d like to see what Nowack’s psych-evals say, but I’m sure the Navy shrink “lost” them, retired, has his CYA portfolio up to date, and has the phone numbers of a few good lawyers taped to the fridge. Talk about ridiculous.