Astronaut crashes on attempted murder charge (2nd Roundup)

By Anne K Walters Feb 7, 2007, 0:40 GMT

Washington - A love triangle brought a NASA astronaut crashing down Tuesday, landing her in a Florida court charged with attempting to kill her rival for a fellow astronaut's affections.

Lisa Nowak, 43, who operated a robotic arm on a shuttle mission last year, allegedly drove nearly 1,450 kilometres wearing a diaper in an attempt to eliminate restroom breaks. She was racing to intercept her rival, Colleen Shipman, at an Orlando airport, police charge.

Nowak, who is married and has three children, told police she was in an extramarital relationship with fellow astronaut William Oefelein and had made the drive from Houston, Texas to confront Shipman about her relationship with the male astronaut.

Shipman, a US Air Force officer, called police after she was followed to her car in the airport parking lot and threatened by Nowak.

Nowak wore a disguise and a black wig, slapped at Shipman's car windows and tried to get into the car, according to a police affidavit. She said she wanted to talk with Shipman about the relationship and wore the disguise so Shipman would agree to talk.

Nowak asked for a ride and then to use a cell phone, before spraying Shipman with pepper spray through the car's window. Shipman was able to drive away and get help.

Police later saw Nowak throw away a trench coat, a wig and a BB pistol. She was also carrying a steel mallet, a 10-centimetre folding knife, rubber tubing, plastic garbage bags and 600 dollars. Police also found correspondence between Shipman and Oefelein, directions to the airport and the victim's home, and a letter stating how much Nowak loved Oefelein in Nowak's car.

Nowak was arrested early Monday and charged with battery, attempted kidnapping, attempted vehicle burglary and destruction of evidence. The Orlando Police Department added the charge of attempted first degree murder Tuesday.

The police had recommended she not be released due to 'a well- founded fear for the safety of the victim.'

But the Florida judge set bond in the attempted murder charge at 10,000 dollars Tuesday afternoon. Nowak had already posted 15,500 dollars in bail on the earlier charges.

Nowak was ordered released on bail, and will be able to return to Houston, but must wear a monitoring device that would tell police her location and alert her victim if she entered Florida.

Nowak flew her first shuttle mission in July 2006 on the Discovery flight to the International Space Station, where she operated a remote arm during spacewalks. She had been with NASA since 1996 and served in mission control, the operations planning and astronaut robotics branches.

Nowak has been placed on 30-day leave and been removed from flight status and mission-related activities, NASA said online.

'We are deeply saddened by this tragic event. The charges ... are serious ones that must be decided by the judicial system,' the statement by Michael Coats, director of the Texas-based Johnson Space Centre, said.

A Navy captain, Nowak grew up in Maryland, attended the US Naval Academy and served as a pilot flying more than 30 different aircraft.

Her love interest, Oefelein, was chosen for the space programme in 1998 and has logged 308 hours in space, most recently as pilot of a December Discovery flight to the International Space Station. He was not part of Nowak's mission.

Oefelein, 41, is a commander in the Navy and had served as a test pilot. He is a father of two, according to the NASA website.

NASA spokesman Steve Lindsey said after the arrest that 'this is a private personal matter that she and her family have to deal with.'

He stressed that NASA considers itself a family and added, 'Our primary concern is her health and well being.'