Astronaut charged with attempted kidnapping

[ptabor]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/05/space.love/index.html

Obviously our government was successful in choosing mentally balanced candidates for our astronaut corp.

Good thing they weren't mounting a mission to mars.

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/05/space.love/index.html

Obviously our government was successful in choosing mentally balanced candidates for our astronaut corp.

Good thing they weren't mounting a mission to mars.

I thought the post said Astronuc is arrested, I was like whaaa

Well it's pretty sad, but love makes fools of us all...

 

[BobG]

Obviously our government was successful in choosing mentally balanced candidates for our astronaut corp.

Only 99.7% of the time. (about 320 past and current astronauts, not counting other countries astronauts, civilian passengers, etc)

 

[zoobyshoe]

Man, that's intense. Her car was packed with all kinds of props to help with the kidnapping including diapers she was going to force the victim to wear to eliminate the need for rest stops along the way.

 

[FredGarvin]

Obviously something snapped along the way. I guess it proves a point that the right person can turn anyone into a blundering, idiotic common criminal.

How she made it to the rank of Captain is beyond me.

Oh. I just figured it out. Obviously, on her flight to the ISA, she was obviously irradiated by a stray cloud of gamma particles that is slowly turning her into a super villain.

 

[Astronuc]

Nowak is married with three children

She is married??! And she wants to keep the other woman from a guy with whom she is somehow involved?

Edit: Apparently she will be charged with attempted murder!

I think she needs some serious psychiatric intervention.

Very sad.

I thought the post said Astronuc is arrested, . . .

Yeah. Obviously I will have to make NASA and the rest of the world to change the word "astronaut" in order to avoid any conflict or confusion in the future. For the record - I had nothing to do with this. I don't even know these people.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

NASA has rescheduled her for a 2027 flight.

 

[Math Is Hard]

some joker put this in wikipedia:

Nowak is married to Richard T. Nowak, and they have three children (a son born in 1992 and twin daughters born in 2001).[2] Her hobbies include reading, piano, kidnapping, gardening, and crossword puzzles.[3] She is a Roman Catholic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Nowak

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Thats Funny!

 

[BobG]

some joker put this in wikipedia:

Nowak is married to Richard T. Nowak, and they have three children (a son born in 1992 and twin daughters born in 2001).[2] Her hobbies include reading, piano, kidnapping, gardening, and crossword puzzles.[3] She is a Roman Catholic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Nowak

That's just wrong.

I can see a 'made for cable television' movie coming out soon. What a bizarre turn of events in less than a year!

 

[Astronuc]

NASA has rescheduled her for a 2027 flight.

That can't be right - she'd be 63! What are those people thinking - or are they even thinking?

I would imagine that she will get a medical leave or discharge.

Edit:

Nowak is scheduled to be a capcom — capsule communicator — on the next space shuttle mission, STS 117, which is targeted for a March 15 launch date.

I don't think she'll be able to make it.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=2852454&page=1

Nowak and Oefelein did not fly on the same space shuttle mission, but they trained together for 11 days in 2002 at a Canadian army cold-weather survival camp.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Obviously I will have to make NASA and the rest of the world to change the word "astronaut" in order to avoid any conflict or confusion in the future.

The rest of the world already changed to cosmonaut long ago. The word astronaut doesn't really make sense (if ever they do travel to a star I hope they go at night so they don't get burned up). But then cosmonaut isn't specific enough as we are all, in a sense, cosmonauts. If we don't come up with something quick, there's a danger it will become naughtynaut. I suggest "ex-pat".

 

[Ivan Seeking]

some joker put this in wikipedia:

It just occurred to me; "some joker" did it.

Whatever you say JokesAreHard.

 

[Anttech]

I thought the post said Astronuc is arrested, I was like whaaa

Well it's pretty sad, but love makes fools of us all...

Now that would be news

I can't decide what is more Sad, this managed to get on the news, or what the stupid woman did. I guess that the article managed to make the news, at least the woman can say it was a crime of passion, what's the tabloids excuses?

 

[Anttech]

Yeah. Obviously I will have to make NASA and the rest of the world to change the word "astronaut" in order to avoid any conflict or confusion in the future. For the record - I had nothing to do with this. I don't even know these people.

hahaha... Sarcasim from an American.. Someone call the papers, I think we have some *real* news this time

 

[verty]

Don't you think it makes good news?

 

[Anttech]

Don't you think it makes good news?

Errmm.. Nope, was I not clear enough for you

 

[Schrodinger's Dog]

hahaha... Sarcasim from an American.. Someone call the papers, I think we have some *real* news this time

Don't be so cynical one of the most cynical and sarcastic persons I ever had the fortune or misfortune to "meet" was from New York or more correctly talk to over the internet phone methods, there you can be sure sarcasm is alive and well

On the other hand I was online once and making some really obviously false statements and was accused of being a liar and a cheat by an American, so it varies from place to place, but some of those damned Yankees get the humour in sarcasm they're getting better at it than us, if it isn't bad enough that they steal our great comedians, they're stealing our culture too, and what do we get Starsky and bloody Hutch,24, BattleStar Galictica, House, and an increasing gun culture :lol:

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Now that would be news

I can't decide what is more Sad, this managed to get on the news, or what the stupid woman did. I guess that the article managed to make the news, at least the woman can say it was a crime of passion, what's the tabloids excuses?

It certainly calls into question NASA's ability to screen for psychological problems. Since NASA is funded by tax payer dollars, we are not only interested, as the owners we have a right and a need to know.

 

[quantumdude]

Astronuc's been charged with WHAT?!

Oh, my mistake, I just read it wrong.

 

[Math Is Hard]

It just occurred to me; "some joker" did it.

Whatever you say JokesAreHard.

heh heh. No, if it was me I would have run in here screaming, "Guys! Guys! Look what I did!"

 

[grant9076]

It's sad and embarrassing. I wonder who feels worse? Her intended victim or her husband.

 

[Cyrus]

Raise your hand if your ku-ray-zay!

http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/images/medium/06pd1327-m.jpg
me, me...pick me!

-NASA's screen testing for nut jobs.

 

[quantumdude]

OMG cyrus, I almost spit up my Coke!

 

[Astronuc]

It is certainly a tragedy for her husband and three children.

NASA's statement -

The following is a statement from Michael Coats, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, regarding the status of astronaut Lisa Nowak.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic event. The charges against Lisa Nowak are serious ones that must be decided by the judicial system. She is officially on 30-day leave and has been removed from flight status and all mission-related activities. We will continue to monitor developments in the case."

 

[Moonbear]

It certainly calls into question NASA's ability to screen for psychological problems.

That was my initial thought when I read about this in the news. But, now I'm wondering when her last thorough check-up was? Could she have suffered something like a very focal stroke or something that didn't show overt symptoms but that has altered her mental status? Maybe she was fine when she went on the mission, but something happened since then to affect her health.

 

[Cyrus]

Mmmmmmmmmm, yeah,...no. I am just going to go with she's crazy.

Wearing an adult diaper..

I don't think you can screen for Jealous lovers syndrome.

They should shoot her into outer space as punishment, or put her in jail for a long long time.

 

[verty]

It certainly calls into question NASA's ability to screen for psychological problems.

Actually, that depends on the position. I wouldn't want to take readouts from the computer throughout a mission, it'd be very boring like working on an assembly line. I would think they would want someone psychologically fit for that position, which would probably be someone who was skilled in that discipline but relatively unthinking otherwise.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Nowak]During[/PLAIN] a search of Nowak's car parked at a nearby motel, the police found a letter written by Nowak in which she proclaimed her love for Oefelein, along with latex gloves, opened packages for both a buck knife and pepper spray, an unused BB cartridge, handwritten directions to Shipman's house, copies of e-mails from Shipman to Oefelein, and diapers.[10] The astronaut explained she had used the latter during the 900 mile drive from her home in Houston, Texas to Orlando so she did not have to stop to urinate (U.S. shuttle astronauts wear diapers during launch and re-entry).

It sounds to me like she used the diapers herself?

 

[Astronuc]

It sounds to me like she used the diapers herself?

Yes that it true. As pointed out in various articles - astronauts wear diapers during lift-off (launch) and re-entry - just in case. The body is subjected to significant g-forces.

Apparently Ms. Nowak recently separated from her husband, so it would appear that marital discord had an effect on her state of mind.

It certainly calls into question NASA's ability to screen for psychological problems.

People change. Apparently after being accepted as an astronaut, a process which includes psychological screening/testing, no further psych tests are performed. Rather, one is subsequently evaluated on performance.

 

[Moonbear]

People change. Apparently after being accepted as an astronaut, a process which includes psychological screening/testing, no further psych tests are performed. Rather, one is subsequently evaluated on performance.

Hmm...it seems it's a profession where they should have ongoing psychological/neurological evaluations (the two would be complementary). Not that I'd expect them to typically screen for jealousy, but more to watch for any changes at all. It must be stressful preparing for missions with the intensity of training, living in close quarters during missions, and then returning to semi-celebrity status, in addition to the physical stresses on the body that could have an impact on mental functioning. It just seems that with all the physical requirements of the job, they shouldn't be leaving the brain out of their checkups, especially within 6 months of a spaceflight.

 

[Astronuc]

Hmm...it seems it's a profession where they should have ongoing psychological/neurological evaluations (the two would be complementary). Not that I'd expect them to typically screen for jealousy, but more to watch for any changes at all. It must be stressful preparing for missions with the intensity of training, living in close quarters during missions, and then returning to semi-celebrity status, in addition to the physical stresses on the body that could have an impact on mental functioning. It just seems that with all the physical requirements of the job, they shouldn't be leaving the brain out of their checkups, especially within 6 months of a spaceflight.

Lauch and re-entry put major stress on the body, particularly tissues like the brain. Add to this, radiation in space, particularly at ISS. Add to this stress from everyday life including home and work.

Presumably Nowak will be evaluated and I would expect that her attorney(s) will consider an insanity defense.

I knew a professor at university whose behavior was questionable. Turned out he had a brain tumor. The tumor was removed and he was a completely different person.

When I was a grad student, one of the students I taught had suffered damage to his frontal lobe (caused by going through the windshield of his car). His behavior was erratic, and he eventually disappeared.

I think NASA needs to do periodic CAT (or PET) scans.

 

[Moonbear]

Lauch and re-entry put major stress on the body, particularly tissues like the brain. Add to this, radiation in space, particularly at ISS. Add to this stress from everyday life including home and work.

Exactly. And, upon return to Earth, orthostatic intolerance is a very common problem (inability to stand on their own, and fainting when standing upright). This occurs even after short space flights. The body is slow to recover from the effects of gravity on blood, and other fluid, distribution through the body. In space, there is a shift of blood up into the upper body and head and away from the extremities, and upon return to Earth, the shift is back out to the extremities and the heart doesn't sufficiently keep up with the shift to keep enough blood supply to the head, so fainting occurs. I've been told by someone who worked for NASA that this is the one area where a sex difference occurs in physiological responses to space flight too, and it's the women who experience more symptoms of this problem (i.e., more fainting episodes). I remembered that because I would have predicted the sex difference would be in the opposite direction...my prediction would have been that women naturally experience dramatic shifts in fluid balance during pregnancy, so would have better adaptation to those shifts than men...so it really stuck in my mind upon hearing the women were less able to adapt than the men in that case. That sort of shift in blood/nutrient/oxygen supply to the brain sure sounds like something with potential to cause any number of neurological problems...stroke, focal ischemia, etc. It just makes no sense not to monitor for pscyhological symptoms.

Presumably Nowak will be evaluated and I would expect that her attorney(s) will consider an insanity defense.

It's hard to imagine any scenario where an insanity defense wouldn't be considered in this case.

I knew a professor at university whose behavior was questionable. Turned out he had a brain tumor. The tumor was removed and he was a completely different person.

When I was a grad student, one of the students I taught had suffered damage to his frontal lobe (caused by going through the windshield of his car). His behavior was erratic, and he eventually disappeared.

I think NASA needs to do periodic CAT (or PET) scans.

Absolutely. Even a very small area of damage, if just in the right place, can cause drastic behavioral changes. In cases of ischemia, the tissue damage that occurs from oxygen deprivation can even continue spreading for a short time after the initial injury due to signals from the dying cells affecting those around them. So, they might appear fine in an initial post-flight exam, but if examined a month later, the full extent of the damage may be more evident.

 

[turbo]

A new development - because of the nature of the weaponry she had in her possession, the charges have been elevated from attempted kidnapping to attempted 1st degree murder, attempted kidnapping, and three other charges.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070207/ap_on_re_us/astronaut_arrested;_ylt=AnZYlJiRp41NkW2PcUPdDv_MWM0F

 

[Reshma]

I just read the news this morning, very hilarous and sad for most part. Wonder what ticked her off like that?