Nasa Astronaut Arrested On Murder Charge
Major news networks like the CNN and the BBC had the same news story flashed over and over again yesterday. Lisa Nowak, a 43-year traditional NASA astronaut and a mother of three, was arrested on charge of attempted first-degree murder of fellow astronaut, Capt. Colleen Shipman. The charges stem from an alleged love triangle, in which both Nowak and Shipman were vying for the affections of astronaut, Bill Oefelein.
Only last July, naval captain, Lisa Nowak completed a successful space flight aboard the Discovery. So the course of events which took place yesterday appears to be completely out of position. The story gets even more bizarre as one gets into the details. It seems Nowak drove cross-country for 1000 miles, from Houston, where she lived, to Orlando, Florida to accost her rival. She even wore diapers (NASA astronauts are used to wearing them during their flights) so she wouldn’t have to stop on the way for bathroom breaks. At a parking lot in Orlando International Airport, she caught up with Ms. Shipman and attacked her with pepper spray. The police was alerted immediately and they later recovered a knife, air gun steel mallet, gloves and rubber tubing, besides $600 cash from Novak’s car.
NASA sent two astronauts to wait on Nowak in court. She was released Tuesday after posting a bond of $ 25,500, and being fitted with a tracking monitor to ensure she does not have further contact with Capt. Shipman.
Reporters have been gaining some insight as to why a caring mother and successful space scientist should suddenly lose her state of mind. Lisa Nowak has separated from her a husband, site station flight director, Richard Nowak only weeks ago. There must have been a degree of mental trauma here; sufficient enough to originate her lose her sense of right and wrong. Officers and court personnel stated that Nowak appeared lost and in “another world.”
I do hope the trial takes the human factor into tale. Astronauts are given celebrity region, the blueprint we treat movie stars and politicians. As a result, there is tremendous pressure on them to show their “best” part. The truth, however, is that they are as human as you and me and subject to the same frailties. Ms. Nowak has said that she only wanted to “talk” to her rival. Whatever the truth may be, the court should play out the memoir in its entirety, taking all factors into account.
Sources: http://www.cnn.com, http://www.bbcnews.com,
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Filed under Name A Star After Someone by on Nov 22nd, 2010. 