Spaced Out?

[Lady Dragonfly]

What do you think about the bizarre love triangle story involving NASA astronauts?

Mission Specialist Lisa Nowak drove 900 miles from Houston to Orlando, wearing diapers (I assume NASA diapers) so she would not have to waste her time, to confront her rival...

"Nowak, a Navy Captain, is accused of accosting Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman, 30, in the parking lot of Orlando International Airport early Monday and spraying her with pepper spray. She told police she only wanted to talk with Shipman."

"Nowak and Shipman were both "in a relationship" with Navy Cmdr. Bill Oefelein, another astronaut, according to a police report of the incident."

Astronaut granted bond on*attempted*murder charge - CNN.com

[fable]

Obsession is a very ugly thing, unless you're the one doing the obsessing.

[Kipi]

Originally Posted by Lady Dragonfly

What do you think about the bizarre love triangle story involving NASA astronauts?

Mission Specialist Lisa Nowak drove 900 miles from Houston to Orlando, wearing diapers (I assume NASA diapers) so she would not have to waste her time, to confront her rival...

"Nowak, a Navy Captain, is accused of accosting Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman, 30, in the parking lot of Orlando International Airport early Monday and spraying her with pepper spray. She told police she only wanted to talk with Shipman."

"Nowak and Shipman were both "in a relationship" with Navy Cmdr. Bill Oefelein, another astronaut, according to a police report of the incident."

Astronaut granted bond on*attempted*murder charge - CNN.com

Attempting murder?
At least here yesterday news talked only about attempt to kidnap, nothing about murder...

But must agree with fable, obsession is very ugly thing...

[VonDondu]

Lisa Nowak is clearly unstable. Her thought processes are obviously deranged. When confronted by the police, she denied that she was involved in a relationship with the guy with whom she is obsessed, and I wonder to what extent she is in denial to herself. What amazes me the most is that an intelligent person like her was foolish enough to think that 1) kidnapping and/or killing her rival would make a positive difference and 2) she could get away with it. Her planning was also pretty poor. Her obsession made her snap, and I figure that will be her defense. It's actually a good thing for her that her plans did not succeed. Once she returned to her senses, living with the guilt would have been horrible.

As far as I know, astronauts don't have any greater incidence of mental instability than the rest of us. Even so, in this particular case, I wonder if being on a Shuttle mission into space or all the training leading up to it contributed to Nowak's, uh, lack of stability. Maybe weightlessness and severe motion sickness mess with the mind.

The diaper angle seems to be getting the most attention. That's unfortunate. It does, however, solve a small mystery. Back in the 1980s when women first became astronauts, NASA would not disclose what sort of methods they had devised to deal with female bladder function. (Male astronauts used a tube, and I assume they still do.)

Originally Posted by fable

Obsession is a very ugly thing, unless you're the one doing the obsessing.

Oh, no, it's ugly even if you're the one doing the obsessing (in my experience, anyway). Nay, especially if.

[kathycf]

Her last mission was flown in December, with Oefelein who was the shuttle pilot. I thought active duty astronauts were given stress and other psychological testing in order to be considered fit for duty. It seems odd that a month later an indivdual's mental health would sink so rapidly. I think NASA psychiatrists and psychologists may have to re-think their testing procedures.


Her planning may not have been good, but it seems enough that she can forget about any sort of defense regarding her mental state.

She printed out detailed maps for the trip, which were found in her car during a police search, along with handwritten directions to Shipman's home. En route, she paid cash for hotel stays and registered under an assumed name.

Inside a bag Nowak was carrying, the officer found a tan trench coat, a new steel mallet, a new folding knife with a 4-inch blade, 3 to 4 feet of rubber tubing, several large plastic garbage bags and about $600 in cash, the report said.

Nowak admitted the details of Shipman's story, according to the police report, and permitted a search of her car.

Inside the car, police found an a half dozen latex gloves, MapQuest directions from Houston to Orlando International Airport, e-mails from Shipman to Oefelein, diapers Nowak said she wore to reduce stops along the highway and a letter indicating how much she loved Oefelein.

It is standard procedure for astronauts to wear diapers when they suit up for launch and re-entry.

*edit*
Ok, now I am a bit confused. The CNN story states this:

Nowak, who has been an astronaut since 1996, flew her first shuttle mission last July, serving as a mission specialist aboard the Discovery. Oefelein, 41, was the pilot of the most recent shuttle mission, also aboard Discovery, which flew in December 2006.

And Space.com states this:

The details of the relationships of all three were unclear. Nowak and Oefelein, who both live in the Houston area, had trained together as astronauts, but never flew into space together. Shipman, 30, works at Patrick Air Force Base near Kennedy Space Center.

Earlier, Nowak was quoted by police as saying she and Oefelein had something “more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship.''

SPACE.com -- NASA Astronaut Charged With Attempted Murder

Ahh, my confusion is due to reading something incorrectly. Ooops, my fault.

[Andurbal]

Originally Posted by kathycf

Her last mission was flown in December, with Oefelein who was the shuttle pilot. I thought active duty astronauts were given stress and other psychological testing in order to be considered fit for duty. It seems odd that a month later an indivdual's mental health would sink so rapidly.

"We got high on travel
And we got drunk on alcohol
And on love the strongest poison and medicine of all"
song:A Strange Boy / LP:Hejira / artist:Joni Mitchell

[Gilliatt]

The question that always comes to my mind in situations like this is: "Would she have done it if she had really loved the man?"

"Did she even cared for the man's feelings or only about her own feelings?"

"What would have been her reaction if her husband had tried to kill the pilot?"