Officials Saw No Sign Of Instability
One day after shuttle
astronaut Lisa Nowak was charged with attempted murder, officials
at NASA held a press conference to announce the agency will
review its psychological screening process for astronauts.
"We have humans in space right now," said Johnson Space Center
deputy director Robert Cabana. "We need to stay focused on it to be
sure we do it right."
NASA stressed it has seen no signs of psychological instability
in Nowak (shown at right) throughout her tenure at the space
agency. Officials at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and Houston's
Johnson Space Center would not comment further on details of
Nowak's screenings, citing privacy concerns.
As Aero-News reported
Tuesday, Nowak -- a robotics specialist at NASA, who
flew on Discovery last year -- was arrested Monday in Orlando, FL
on charges of attempted kidnapping, attempted vehicle burglary with
battery, destruction of evidence and battery.
Nowak, a married mother of three, allegedly drove 900 miles from
Houston to confront Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman, whom she
believed a rival for the affections of fellow astronaut Navy
Commander William Oefelein. Nowak and Oefelein trained together as
first-time shuttle fliers last year, but flew separate
missions.
Nowak told police she suspected Shipman was romantically
involved with Oefelein and drove to Orlando's airport Monday
morning wearing a diaper so she wouldn't have to stop. There, she
dressed in a trench coat and wig then waited for Shipman's plane to
arrive. Nowak rode the shuttle bus to the parking lot with Shipman
who noticed Nowak following her and rushed to her car and locked
the doors.
During Wednesday's press conference, Deputy NASA Administrator
Shana Dale said Nowak's performance during the Discovery mission
was "excellent," according to the Washington Post.
Nowak has been removed from flight status, and placed on 30-day
leave... but for the moment at least, she's still a NASA astronaut,
with Dale stating Nowak's leave "makes no statement whatsoever on
the state of her mental health." Officials would not comment on
Nowak's future with the space agency.
Nowak returned to Houston Wednesday morning, free on $10,000
bond. Officials state Oefelein was on "leave in Florida" when the
incident occurred.
Regardless of the ultimate outcome of this bizarre case, Nowak
carries the dubious distinction of being the first active astronaut
to be arrested on a felony charge.