Astronaut charged with attempted murder.

[SuperJerk 0]

Astronaut granted bond on attempted murder charge

 

 

ORLANDO, Florida (CNN) -- Astronaut Lisa Nowak Tuesday was ordered released on an additional $10,000 bond for an attempted murder charge involving a romantic rival.

 

Nowak, 43, had earlier posted a $15,500 bond on charges of attempted kidnapping, battery and attempted burglary of a car with battery. But, her release was halted as Orlando Police brought the attempted murder charge.

 

As a condition of her release, Nowak was ordered to wear a global positioning satellite device, known as a GPS.

 

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, a Navy captain, and Shipman were both "in a relationship" with Navy Cmdr. Bill Oefelein (OAF-line), another astronaut, according to a police report of the incident.

 

Nowak told police, however, her relationship with Oefelein was "more than a working relationship and less than a romantic relationship."

 

Shipman has filed for a restraining order on Nowak in Brevard County, where Shipman lives and works, according to a copy of the order on Brevard County's Web site.

 

In the paperwork for the order, Shipman said that Nowak had been stalking her for the past two months. The hearing for the order is scheduled for February 20.

 

Nowak, a married mother of three, made both her court appearances shackled and wearing a dark-colored jumpsuit. In the afternoon session, for the attempted murder charge, she kept her eyes straight ahead. (Watch a shackled Nowak bow her head as attorneys discuss her bail with the judge)

 

Her attorney, Donald Lykkebak, argued the judge should not find probable cause for the attempted murder charge because it was based on the same incident as the original charges. And he accused Orlando police of wanting a "second bite of the apple."

 

Nowak's supervisor at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, retired Air Force Col. Steve Lindsey, testified at her morning court appearance.

 

Lindsey -- who was the commander of Nowak's shuttle flight last year -- assured the judge that Nowak, who is on active duty, would not have contact with Shipman or have any need to travel to Patrick Air Force Base, where Shipman works, or nearby Kennedy Space Center on Florida's Atlantic Coast.

 

He also said the GPS device would not interfere with her work at Johnson Space Center in Houston.

 

According to the arresting affidavits, Nowak drove from Houston to Orlando after discovering Shipman's flight plans on Oefelein's computer.

 

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.

 

Once in Orlando, according to the arresting affidavits, Nowak followed Shipman from the airport to her car in a satellite parking lot, where the confrontation took place about 3:45 a.m. Wearing a wig and glasses, Nowak approached Shipman as she got into her car and told her Nowak's boyfriend had not shown up to pick her up and she needed a ride.

 

Shipman refused, saying she would send help instead. When Nowak complained she couldn't hear Shipman and started to cry, Shipman opened her car window "about two inches" -- and Nowak sprayed pepper spray into the car, police said.

 

Shipman drove away and found police, who located Nowak at a bus stop. They also found a wig and a plastic bag containing a carbon dioxide-powered BB pistol in a nearby trash can, the report said.

 

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.

 

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 last shuttle mission, also aboard Discovery, which flew in December 2006.

 

After Tuesday's court appearance, Lindsey said his appearance was in support of Nowak "like we would any employee at NASA if they were to get into this situation."

 

"We're a close family and we try to take care of our own," he added.

 

He could not comment on whether NASA would take any disciplinary action against Nowak.

 

"Those are ongoing things and we'll let the process work in those areas," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/06/astronaut...sted/index.html

[BorneAgain 0]

Funny, that this astronaut needed more space.

[2GOLD 0]

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.

 

God damn, she was planning on going medieval on her ass.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

I don't understand why this story is getting so much press.

[2GOLD 0]

I don't understand why this story is getting so much press.

 

She's a female astronaut. There is why the story is getting press. If you are going to treat it as the World's Greatest Moment when one of the ladies launches into space, gotta consider it a story when one of them goes batshit because the man she was having an affair with no longer wanted to have an affair with her.

 

Plus she was just on Discovery so yeah, it's going to get major coverage.

[SuperJerk 0]

I don't understand why this story is getting so much press.

You gotta consider the "WTF" factor.

[Sideburnious 0]

The headlines around here were pretty much "Female Astronaut attackts partner in diaper".

 

So yeah, I guess the Astronaut + Female + WTF = Interesting.

[vivalaultra 0]

I don't know if it's something in the water around here that causes women to become crazy. First, there was Andrea Yates in 2002. Then there was Clara Harris who ran over her husband. And now there's this crazy astronaut that drove 900 miles wearing a diaper to kill some other woman with a mallet and some rubber tubing. And all three of those women live like...less than 15 minutes from my house. I should start doing like one of those 'Celebrity Homes' tours. I'd call it 'The Crazy White Bitch Tour'.

[Vampiro69 0]

On the ABC Saturday Night movie of the week we present to you Lust In Space, starring Bill Paxton, Anne Heche, and Helen Hunt.

[Mecca 0]

I don't know if it's something in the water around here that causes women to become crazy. First, there was Andrea Yates in 2002. Then there was Clara Harris who ran over her husband. And now there's this crazy astronaut that drove 900 miles wearing a diaper to kill some other woman with a mallet and some rubber tubing. And all three of those women live like...less than 15 minutes from my house. I should start doing like one of those 'Celebrity Homes' tours. I'd call it 'The Crazy White Bitch Tour'.

 

I suggest you move....or be really careful about who you date.

[sfaJack 0]

I don't know if it's something in the water around here that causes women to become crazy. First, there was Andrea Yates in 2002. Then there was Clara Harris who ran over her husband. And now there's this crazy astronaut that drove 900 miles wearing a diaper to kill some other woman with a mallet and some rubber tubing. And all three of those women live like...less than 15 minutes from my house. I should start doing like one of those 'Celebrity Homes' tours. I'd call it 'The Crazy White Bitch Tour'.

Don't forget about the Cheerleader Mom.

 

I don't understand why this story is getting so much press.

If you think it's bad where you are, try living here. It is totally non-stop.

[Open the Muggy Gate 0]

On the ABC Saturday Night movie of the week we present to you Lust In Space, starring Bill Paxton, Anne Heche, and Helen Hunt.

 

So which one is the crazy astronaut diaper killer? Heche or Hunt?

[gwf0704 0]

I don't know if it's something in the water around here that causes women to become crazy. First, there was Andrea Yates in 2002. Then there was Clara Harris who ran over her husband. And now there's this crazy astronaut that drove 900 miles wearing a diaper to kill some other woman with a mallet and some rubber tubing. And all three of those women live like...less than 15 minutes from my house. I should start doing like one of those 'Celebrity Homes' tours. I'd call it 'The Crazy White Bitch Tour'.

I would sign up for that tour.

[Vampiro69 0]

On the ABC Saturday Night movie of the week we present to you Lust In Space, starring Bill Paxton, Anne Heche, and Helen Hunt.

 

So which one is the crazy astronaut diaper killer? Heche or Hunt?

 

I would say Anne Heche. She has run the gamut of crazy sexual situations.

[Ravenbomb 0]

On the ABC Saturday Night movie of the week we present to you Lust In Space, starring Bill Paxton, Anne Heche, and Helen Hunt.

 

Good God, that might be the most boring cast ever.

 

Wait, do you mean Bill Paxton or Bill Pullman? If Paxton, then I recant my statement. If it's Pullman, I can't recant on account of dozing off.

[Special K 0]

It's just amazing because astronauts are the elite of the elite, and are trained to be chill in basically the scariest situations a person could find him/herself.

 

That said, it's been almost completely absent in my paper, although there was a ludicrous article in editorials comparing her to Anna-Nicole Smith. Good one, guys.