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John Orozco — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 12:05:08 GMT

What a terrible analysis of this situation. Here's a question about NASA's purported "superstar culture": how many astronauts can the average American name? Zero. What a joke These people are respected not because NASA promotes them but because they have accomplished amazing things in their lives and do things like fly in space that most people only dream about. Including an excerpt referring to astronauts as "monsters"? I would have thought a professional journalist would know better. You need a reality check Boyle.

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Brent Humber — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 12:09:59 GMT

Astronauts are just people with cool careers. They have all the same problems as all other people.

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Susan — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 13:19:44 GMT

A greater tragedy was averted in that no one was hurt or killed. I know zero about Nowak's mental state, but clearly something is amiss. However, that does not diminish what could have happened here. For me, it is less about the scandal, diapers, or superduper astronauts, and more about the potential harm to/murder of the Air Force captain. That cannot be overlooked in all of this mess.

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Jim Prince, South Brunswick, New Jersey — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 13:20:48 GMT

It is pathetic how media is so despicably trying to sugarcoat this low life by suggesting that how astronauts are over stressed. And since they are so high achievers, so few, so close knit somehow this crime needs to be analyzed in some special way. In context of why highly intelligent person can lose their cool. OOOOhhhh!!!! because she sacrificed so much by going in the space. I get it...

Hhhheeelllooo... Space inhabitant...

We people on earth have laws. We live by certain code of conduct which has no bearing of what corners of the universe you come from. Everyone is responsible for their actions.

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Guy S. Newell — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 13:22:11 GMT

This is really sad. Clearly, this woman has been
pushed over the edge by the constant technical training, publicity, the stress of the actual mission, then the let down after it was all over.

On the other hand, this story might help get more women involved in science and engineering. I think the big issue has always been that there's just not enough drama in most science or engineering jobs.

I also agree that it's time to shift the focus to private efforts to get into space. At least then we'll know that there's a real purpose behind every mission. No business is going to spend that kind of money just for the sake of swashbuckling or sexual experiementation.

Hey, how come the ISS doesn't have telescope on board? Too much vibration?

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A. Baker, Daytona Beach, Florida — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 13:24:31 GMT

Living in Daytona Beach, this story was the big one on the local news stations. All of a sudden it was, "What, we had tornadoes last week?" I'm not suprised that there is some hanky panky going on in the astronaut corps. The folks work together for months at a time, they're well educated, physically fit, and usually fairly attractive, so after so much time together there's bound to be some "touchdown" practice between the sheets. I'm curious about the male astronaut and the woman who was the recipient of the "attack". I first heard the victim was his wife, later girlfriend. Was there really anythjing between the attacker and the man, or was this all in her head? And how in the world did such a nut job (No sexual innuendo meant,) get into the space program? I suppose we'll hear all sorts of theories on the TV news as time passes.

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John Doe, Seattle, wash. — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 13:29:57 GMT

As an airline brat I can tell you with certainty: The airline industry IS like Peyton Place.

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Joe Radmacher, Kansas City, Mo — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:12:20 GMT

I am not surprised at this tragic event. When we put people on pedestals they tend to fall off of them. The taller the pedestal the farther they can fall. No human being is perfect and given the pressure that astronauts are put under it should come as no surprise that someone will crack. It would be nice when someone losses it, no matter who they are that we as human beings accept their human frailties and not turn it into a circus. I wish Lisa Novak the best of luck and hope she returns to a mentally healthy person as soon as possible.

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Joe, Beaufort SC — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:24:45 GMT

all the psych evals just go to prove that psychiatry is a black art, and not a science. It brings to mind the old wag that who is crazier, the patients or the psychiatrists?

NASA spends millions probably on its psych eval program and proves the point that no one is perfect.

As for the sexual and relationship peccadilloes of the astronaut corps, the early men certainly set a high standard that in these modern days of political correctness and family values is pretty hard to sustain. The truly sad part is that while NASA could care less officially about the sexual habits of its astronauts, the Navy is somewhat less forgiving and specific rules against fraternization. It is likely that both parties will get drummed out of the Navy with dishonorables and will face general court martials for their affair . . .

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Howard Batt, Clearwater, Florida — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:27:31 GMT

What is the fascination you people have with piling on this woman? You write like the paparazzi photograph

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Kim , Midland, Texas — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:30:10 GMT

I think this just goes to show, not ever one has common sense when it comes to being intellegent. The majority of People stop and think before reacting. This is a case of one lacking common sense to stop and think and not react

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C. Jeffers, Arkadelphia, AR — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:08:45 GMT

When I first heard about this incident, I immediately thought how similar it sounded to that of my sister. Her diagnosis was bipolar disorder, commonly called manic depressive illness. Until we find out all the facts, wouldn't it be kinder if we waited on judgement? I would bet a dozen donuts that this woman has a neurotransmitter problem that lithium would control. Mental disease is so misunderstood in this society. If she'd had breast cancer or became a diabetic, we would have nothing but sympathy for her. As it is, she is being burned at the stake. Several astronauts who know her and have flown missions with her are now coming to her aid. Please give her the benefit of the doubt and ask yourself, "If this happened out of the blue to my daughter or sister, how would I want her to be treated?"

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Steve Keep — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:21:45 GMT

I hope that this once marvelous individual can get the help she needs to begin living again and bring some calm and understanding back to those in her life that really mean so much. She needs our prayers.

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Hamilton Dixon, Dayton, Ohio — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:30:34 GMT

Oh come on .... "wrong stuff" ..!! I'm SURE she has the right stuff ..... She just went a little off course. She should still be able to do what she was trained for ... why waist the money ...??!! Give her a slap and send back .. !

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Mark, Dunkirk, NY — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:39:07 GMT

We have seen this before, we have had celebrities that have suffered from a mental illness or breakdown, happens in workplaces all over America, the Post Service for example, and we haven't totally scrapped that. This is a woman who has a problem, hopefully she will get the help she needs, unfortunately there was no one there to stop her before she went as far as she did, but fortunately didn't take it to another step

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Former reader, new york, ny — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:41:00 GMT

You just love to bash the Space Agency, dont you? Because of the failures of *1*, yes *1*, person you make pathetic generalizations of the entire program. Should I think all of MSNBC is pathetic due to your pathetic column?

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Mark Smith, Adrian, Michigan — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:46:47 GMT

This behavior brings new meaning to the word "SPACEY".

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Incensed in San Diego, CA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:03:38 GMT

I can appreciate your humor about the diapers, but please review the facts. Astronauts are trained to use diapers to relieve themselves during space flight. Your use of that particular nugget here as a pejorative is absolutely incendiary and uncalled for. I hope for your sake that you never end up wearing depends.

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mark — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:13:27 GMT

Why is it always someone else's fault? Gets old.

Typical blamegame.

People are responsible for their own actions. Not their employers, friends, relatives, etc.

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VLF — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:19:29 GMT

Just goes to prove that even smart people can be really, really dumb.

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Colin, Milwaukee WI — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:26:25 GMT

Maybe its part of NASA's culture, but people are people. They are unpredictable creatures driven by a complex, organic brain which is still an area that is not fully understood by scientists. People will do odd or crazy things for reasons unknown to us regardless of whether they are politicians, religious figures, NASA pilots, or average Joes.

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Russ Dull, Choctaw, OK — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:32:10 GMT

Sorta reminds you of that show, "Lost In Space", except now it's "Lust In Space".

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John Lauther, Tucson, AZ — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:35:37 GMT

Novak should be court martialed and thrown in the brig for her actions...she should be pounding stones in Leavenworth...a Total disgrace to those of US who served...LCDR John Lauther (RET)

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Mark R, Whittington — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:36:59 GMT

I wonder if all of this speculation that Lisa Nowak was driven to do what she alleged did because of "astronaut culture" is little more than piling on by the media. Nowak is, after all, the first active duty astronaut (so far as I know) who has been accused of a felony.

Just down the road from the Johnson Space Center, a dentist named Clara Harris caught her husband with another woman and then proceeded to run him over with her car several times until he was dead. Yet there is no "dental culture" that is being blamed for what was obviously the act of an angry, disturbed woman.

I suppose now, as a Houston talk show host has suggested, that astronauts are going to replace postal workers in the popular imagination of people prone to snapping and doing violent things.

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Alan Sheets, Loveland CO — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:39:13 GMT

What we have here is a high-stress, workaholism-inducing, lots-of-time-away-from-home, superstar-attidude profession that has to have a clean public "NASA" image. I'm not too surprised that something other than alcoholism hasn't happened before this.

On the other hand, you have 3 individuals with families and military training/discipline. Aside from assault and attempted murder, the Pentagon should be looking at this as UCMJ honor code, adultery, and conduct unbecoming issues, with discharges forthcoming to all involved. After all, anybody who has done time in the military knows that training and discipline are supposed to trump stress and bad judgment.

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Tony Barkley, Rocky Mount, NC — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:45:02 GMT

Just goes to show you, we've got nuts everywhere!

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Donna, Houston, Texas — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:48:15 GMT

Two things:

1) Has anyone considered that Nowak may have a bonafide, medical condition, such as a brain embolism, that could be at the root of this tragic behavior?

2) With respect to her wearing a diaper on her 960-mile trek, I suspect NASA astronauts wear something similar while on mission, which could explain her seemingly unusual choice. If so, it might be fair to mention this fact in news reports.

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Julie Dee, Hendersonville TN — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:52:16 GMT

I continue to find it interesting and frankly rather stupid that we place politicians, movie stars, lawyers, preachers, astronauts, etc. above others. I don't care what you say - we are all the same and we are all vulnerable to breakdowns, addictions and bad behavior. Come on. Who are we kidding if we don't know this already? The only reason people like Britney Spears get caught with their pants down, so to speak, is because people are watching. It's not because other people aren't doing it - it's because other people aren't being watched and seen in the ways that public figures are watched and seen. It's as simple as that. It all boils down to the old saying "There, except for the grace of God go I." If you don't believe it, just live a little longer and the universe will prove it to you.

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Merv Dunbar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:56:05 GMT

We look at these people and think that it happens to them because they are put on a pedestal. FOLKS, IT HAPPENS EVERY DAY. These people aren't special. If it happened to you or me it might be a one day news story..(the diaper part is a little strange.) We should keep it at that for these people too.

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Jason Rhian, Tampa Florida — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:57:06 GMT

Celebrity culture? What nonsense, ask any child who their favorite athlete or hip-hop gnagsta is and they will rattle off a list of names, ask them to name an astronaut and you'd be lucky to get one name. Don't blame NASA for one Diaper wearing [woman] going througha mid-life crisis!

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Alan Boyle — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 16:58:51 GMT

Dear Incensed: I take your point about the diapers ... I've revised the item slightly to downplay that aspect of it. However, in some strange way it's the diapers rather than the pepper spray that makes this such a bizarre story. (Yes, it's true astronauts wear a type of diaper for the launch phase of a mission and during spacewalks, but still...)

It's also bizarre to see how tabloidish / paparazzious this story has become. Sorry if I've gone too far that way, but the attention the incident has attracted really is amazingly like the latest "Brit Pack" flap. It reminds me of The Onion parody, "Science World Weekly" ... my all-time favorite Onion article:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28269

It's undeniable that the "Right/Wrong Stuff" angle is what has raised this story above the level of your garden-variety office romance. That could be just because of the public image we've cultivated about astronaut culture. Perhaps it's not so much about them, but about us. That's the point of the discussion.

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Jan Moran — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:02:15 GMT

It's definitely a difficult situation. While her bizarre actions can't be ignored and deserve some sort of punishment, I don't think attempted murder is appropriate. Remember how she broke down and cried when Colleen Shipman opened her window. Suddenly, her rage that had been festering was confronted with reality - and she collapsed.

Also, another thing that nobody is discussing is her poor children. Would it be appropriate to lock her behind bars (at our expense) and be responsible for the hit her children would take?

I think she should be relieved of her duties permanently, be penalized some other ways (i.e. community work, and DEFINITE counseling) and then be allowed to return to raise her children.

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Benjamin Dover, Los Angeles, CA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:05:33 GMT

The lady is a certifiable nutcase. She drove 900 + miles in a DIAPER. A DIAPER. All to "talk to" the other woman. Oh, and I forgot, she had a murder kit in her car. Her husband will have a much easier time dealing with obtaining sole physical and legal custody after this special event. [...]

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Anna Mitchell — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:09:33 GMT

Maybe being in space affected her brain in ways it didn't affect our other astronauts. It could be that her irrational actions are the direct result of Space Travel Syndrome.

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fred p — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:13:19 GMT

The arrest was a little late. Would have been a good commercial during the superbowl for " Pampers "

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CCaudi — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:15:48 GMT

Astronauts? You mean those high tech maintenance men and women who ride aboard extremely expensive and obsolete space shuttles to make sure the nuts and bolts on the space station are tight? Knowing their names would be equivalent to knowing the names of the window washers outside my 25th story windows. Can anyone name a NASA advancement achieved by an astronaut in the last 20 years? Here’s one, “Female astronaut proves ancient adage “Don’t Date Anyone You Work With!”. Give me the huge advancements in satellite technologies and remotely controlled rover explorers and their amazing accomplishments any day. Keep your astronaut personal interest stories to yourself. “The Wrong Stuff”, indeed.

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Karen Hudson — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:16:01 GMT

Please, spare us the psychobabble. Romantic triangles occur in every demographic, among people of all ranges of intelligence and achievement. Love makes fools of us all. I hope the children of Lisa Nowak will be spared from a blaring media blitz as much as possible.

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Jim Penson, Poway, CA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:17:09 GMT

This is yet another example of the media going for the tawdry instead of the positive.

This morning Benson Space Company announced that we had revived Brian Emmett's dream of going to space, dashed when he found he had to pay $25,000 in taxes for winning a contest for a suborbital ride.

Benson Space Company had TV interviews set up in advance, exclusives on the story, and an announcement of starting our own tax-free astronaut-making rides on www.freetriptospace.com when the astronaut in diapers story killed all of our interviews, articles and coverage.

That is what I get for doing the humanitarian thing - no notice because of a frenzy of trashy articles and coverage.

Jim Benson
Founder, President
Benson Space Company
www.bensonspace.com

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CMJ Albuquerque, NM — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:21:18 GMT

I thought that astronauts went through EXTENSIVE psch analysis. Shouldn't her mental issues have been caught a long time ago by the doctors?

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Kathy Webb, Arcadia, CA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:22:59 GMT

I totally agree with C. Jeffers: It's obvious that Nowak is bipolar. As a sufferer myself, I can vouch that impulsive, self-destructive behaviour is the tipoff. That doesn't let her off the hook as to the consequences of her actions, though. I feel that a person has the responsibility to remain sane; if she can't, then she should segregate herself as much as possible from other people for their protection.

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JOAN, TORONTO. CANADA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:36:10 GMT

As a Canadian watching the mess that America is getting itself into on a daily basis, I think this incident is just another reflection of the "cult of celebrity" that our American cousins are following. Any intelligent, educated person with a life, shouldn't care about the lives of movie stars, singers, politicians and yes, astronauts. America seems to be going the way of the Roman Empire - lost in the mire of its conviction of its superiority, overindulgence in just about everything (hence the obesity epidemic) and refusal to recognise that other powers and just waiting in the wings like predators ready to pounce on an already weakened prey. Wake up America and smell the winds of change!

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Rich — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:45:00 GMT

Astronaut or Astronut? I thought they were highly intellegent people with some common sense.If she is bypolal she would not be a astronaut.If it is a brain problem,I'm glad I'm not flying into outer space with her. Did NASA pay for her flight back home? Remember that NASA is paid by us taxpayers.

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lyna,Jacksonville,Arkansas — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:45:01 GMT

I just want to say that what ever this lady was going through it wasn't easy for her,but temptation do happened to people even to christians."But once again if you are not strong in faith ,then satan is right there to take charge.No one is perfect and God will be the judge of her when eternity comes.

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Benjamin Dover — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:46:35 GMT

Why is it that every nutty action by a woman is dismissed a "bipolar" and excused. If a man did the same thing he would still be in jail. This lady planned, yes planned, to kill her rival. She was wearing a wig, a coat, had a head over her head and had a complete murder kit. She is so done as the custodial mother. I don't care if she is tripolar. She tried to murder someone, end of story. Send her to jail.

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joe stokoe — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:48:08 GMT

The idea with the diapers for the long road trip is great. Now I know what to do with my kids this summer on our trip to the beach house. They always drive me crazy with all the stops but now I plan on just buttoning them up and heading south. Those NASA folks are brillant.

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Pierre Kirk — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:49:32 GMT

Let's see, this is a serving senior officer and Naval Academy greduate. Having received superb training and conditioning she has progressed from Midshipman to Ensign all the way to Captain. Within the military culture one is held to a high standard of conduct and with advances in rank come correspondingly greater responsibilities. To break faith with the trust placed in you as you progress to senior rank is to fail in your oath, to let down your fellow sailors, and to let down your country. This is not a soap opera and the people involved are not immature spoiled kids. It is the deadly serious business of serving your country, not serving your selfish interests. Are all senior officers paragons of virtue? Of course not, but those who prove unworthy of the rank and trust bestowed upon them should be weeded out. If this officer is in fact mentally ill she needs to be treated for her condition. If she is found to be responsible for her actions the UCMJ should provide the appropriate remedy. But, in any case and at least until this matter can be gotten to the bottom of, this officer needs to relieved from duty by her branch of the Service. We must remember that these are not just ordinary people, they are extraordinary people upon whom lives depend and quite possibly upon whom great issues affecting the Nation depend.

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Darlene Taylor, Saugus, MA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 17:52:09 GMT

It really is too bad that this got so much publicity or more acurately that more of the incidents in the military don't get published, then this wouldn't seem like such a big deal to everybody. Astronauts, Military persons, politicians, law enforcement, government officials, etc. get put on these unrealistic pedastals. They are human just like the rest of us. They are expected to have better morals, better judgement, and to be all around better than "the average Joe". Why are we so surprised when they turn out to be just like everybody else. Some of them are just better at concealing their misdeeds.

While visiting a military family member on his base, I was reading in the base paper about the drunk drivings, thefts, sexual incidents, adultery etc all committed by the military personel on that base. Their punishment was for the most part docked pay. I even heard about a civilian spouse being beaten by her overly jealous pilot husband for coming in a few minutes late from work. I spoke with someone who saw her after the fact and didn't recognize her because she was beaten so badly. I didn't see that in the paper.

Do I think the Astronaut should lose her job? No. Would I lose mine if it were me? I should think that she would have a lawsuit if she did. Obviously, she needs some kind of mental therapy to help her with her personal issues. Should she be criminally charged? That's questionable. A restraining order should definitely be issued. From what I've read she didn't cause any physical harm to anybody and I think the publicity alone is punishment enough.

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Paul DeMarco, Cleveland, Ohio — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:00:31 GMT

Seeing her on T.V. she looks to be in a daze. I don't think she really understands what she has done. Sometimes we all do things without thinking it out first.

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Miami Bill (Miami, Florida) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:03:21 GMT

The media coverage of this has been A COMPLETE DISGRACE. Miles O'Brien's "developing story" on Tuesday was framed with the words "Love Triangle Gone Awry" -- but there has been ZERO evidence that either Oefelein or the other one had ANYTHING to do with this Lisa Nowak. Also, all these pathetic little "cub reporters" in Orlando and Houston chasing this Nowak through the airport with their "crews" trying to get THE BIG SCOOP. Pathetic just doesn't do this justice ... one final thought that no one seems to point out: It's like 900 MILES (!) from Houston to Orlando; Nowak wears a "diaper to avoid unnecessary bathroom breaks" -- what about gasoline for her car?!? This doesn't add up.

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Erik Janikowski — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:05:10 GMT

Let's see now. It seems she separated from her husband (with 3 kids no less) then promptly lost her would be boyfriend to another woman. That's a lot to lose in a few weeks time. She probably just snapped. End of story. All this astronaut pressure stuff is just a bunch of BS trying to excuse her actions. It doesn’t sound like it had anything to do with her problems. She should get the same treatment as everyone else. She assaulted a woman with pepper spray and at a minimum should be convicted of that if the reported facts hold up at trial. If she was a man who worked at Wal-Mart you can be assured no one would cut her any slack.

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GRK, Houston, TX — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:16:01 GMT

The Navy should discipline these officers under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Nowak is seperated from her husband, but still married. She can be punished for having an affair. Nobody is above the law, even an astronaut. I hope it was worth it!

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Tee Canada, Ithaca, NY — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:25:15 GMT

There is little doubt this otherwise normal working mom has some kind of mental imbalance, and it snapped. When you consider the 'cost' of her abnormal behavior, no clear thinking person would consider doing what Norwak did. As a result of her "outerspace" behavior, her reputation has been stained for life, she will no doubt lose her respected position at NASA, her children will suffer, and great salary, she very likely will be sentenced to a mental facility OR treatment for her disorders. Her family terribly embarassed by her actions etc. Those who have knowledge of mental disorders have compassion for her.

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Mark C, Durham NC — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:27:12 GMT

*** It's like 900 MILES (!) from Houston to Orlando; Nowak wears a "diaper to avoid unnecessary bathroom breaks" -- what about gasoline for her car?!? This doesn't add up. ***

Well if the need to urinate always coincided with an empty gas tank, you'd have a point. Unfortunately it doesn't, and you don't.

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Benjamin Dover, Los Angeles, CA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:29:09 GMT

She didn't lose her husband, she cheated on her husband and he left her. The lady is a NUTJOB. She didn't lose anything, except her livelihood.

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Michele, Denver, CO — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:30:07 GMT

This woman has obvious mental issues. I think that attempted murder charges are a little harsh. I know people will disagree with me on that one, but what this woman needs is some heavy duty counseling. I feel pain for her children...how awful to see your mom on TV as a laughing stock. To me, it appears that in her mind, she had something going on with the this gentleman, found out that he didn't feel the same, and snapped. Yes, counseling is in order.

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Dave Hyams, Blytheville, AR — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:31:54 GMT

Oh come on people be for real. The whole world is a mess and we created it ourselves by not standing up for right and wrong and making excuses......

This woman intentionally committed a crime...She should pay for her actions. But within recent history we have begun to toloerate criminals by virtue of their status. We have looked away or made excuses for the reasons that that crime was committed. Blah Blah Blah Convict this woman and send her to the pen....Don't look the other way because she worked for NASA, or is the president of the USA, or is a movie star, or is an ex-football hero. No matter what they are human and if they commit a crime it is our responsibility to let other criminals know we will no longer tolerate crimes no matter what your position or job or career position is currently. Stand up america...

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Saucy, Dallas, Texas — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:32:03 GMT

This woman is not any different than the hundreds of spouses and ex boyfriends that kill their mates every year. We think an astronaut should be above that because they are intelligent and hold a position of respect. Last time I looked we have police officers, congressman and priests falling down the wrong road. No real reason why any human being would be above it. In all these cases there is a lack of faith and moral guidance that gives a person strength and perspective during stress and emotional upheaval. Turn to God rather than the gun.

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Eric, Jacksonville, Florida — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:41:42 GMT

Well this type of thing has been happening in all military communities at a growing rate. (NASA is in all reality a military community) And no one will want to bring it up, but I have one simple question: How many love triangles were there when the Space Program was entirely male? "Bad-Boy" image is one thing, introducing sex into a military environment is much more dangerous and potentially disastrous. Being in the military, I have seen so much of this type of thing. Marriages ended, careers ruined, Navy ships severely undermanned because 40 percent of the female crewmembers "coincidentally" all got pregnant around deployment time.

Adultery on Navy ships is now a regular occurrence, many times leading to divorce, which in turn causes great stress on those involved, leading to mistakes. Making an accounting mistake in a civillian workplace is something that can get you in hot water, maybe fired even. However in the military mistakes often cost lives.

This news story is emblematic of the problems the military keeps ignoring with having both sexes working so closely together in dangerous, and important environments. But hey, why bother keeping things safe, efficient and effective! what we need to concentrate on is being "fair" and "equal". Who cares if CAPT Nowak's issues had led to her causing the destruction of a spacecraft (unbelievable? impossible? after her recent actions I would think not) as long as we keep things equal and fair and politically correct.

Women do not belong on Space Shuttles and Combat Ships and in frontline operations. Unless it was 100% female which would mean no distractions for them, but how safe would you feel with an all female military, police department or fire department? If you say youd feel as safe as with an all male force, you are not being honest, or you are not aware of physical differences and limitations of genders in certain activities.

If we were honest and not worried about offending people's glorious ideas of equality, we would be much better off.

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Lisa Labaska — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:42:10 GMT

....I want to have some sympathy for her, but this clearly brings back shades of "The Betty Broderick Story"....we can feel sorry for her state of mind but we must also keep in mind that even though this was an isolated incident and she didn't kill anyone....she could snap at any time.....ie...up in the shuttle....."hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".......I agree that she should have to pay for her actions just like any "mother or daughter or friend" would have to do. Meanwhile....has anyone asked if the guy she had the hots for knew about any of this?????

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BG, Scottsdale, AZ — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:43:46 GMT

Some chicks are nuts. It just so happens that this nutty chick has gone up into space. End of story.

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MRS city somewhere in USA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:48:48 GMT

Nowak wears a "diaper to avoid unnecessary bathroom breaks" -- what about gasoline for her car?!? WHERE CAN I GET A CAR WITH SUCH SPECTACULAR GAS MILEAGE??? OVER 900 MILES ON ONE TANK??? sign me up

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Sac Jim, Sacramento, CA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:48:58 GMT

[...] Men are far more interested in drama than women are. I should know, I love drama. The reason fewer women are in that field is that there is a longstanding tradition of discrimination and harassment that has only been addressed in the last 20 years or so. Think before you type.

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Sprague — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:53:22 GMT

The media frenzy over this unfortunate event is indicative of the times in which we live. This entire episode is an isolated event involving three individuals, and is no way reflective of our country’s space program and its remarkable, historical accomplishments. I do not see a connection between Lisa’s tragic personal issues and NASA’s capabilities or future exploration programs, or, apart from Benson’s humorous complaint above, to the emerging privatization of spaceflight.

Bill M. Sprague
President & CEO
Sprague Astronautics Company, Inc.

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A Robertsin — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:54:06 GMT

Please show more sensitivity toward this woman. If she were a man, would you be as harsh? Intelligence and higher education are not exemptions for mental breakdowns or drug abuse, whichever applies. Your insensitivity by referring to this as "The Wrong Stuff" is cruel and insensitive. No wonder the USA is losing friends everywhere. Where is your humanity?

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Bill Greene County PA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:03:25 GMT

It seems to me that everyone forgot Bill Clinton and Monica and the lies he told the press and the congressional committee. He wasn’t crucified as bad as this poor woman.

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J.D., Jasper, Texas. — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:03:27 GMT

What!!!!She couldn't get a better weapon than a B-B gun (wihout Co2 cartridge) in Texas. She really was suffering from Diminished capacity.

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Loren, Bay Area, California — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:05:51 GMT

It's amazing how much is being said by people who don't yet have all the points of view.

Cmdr. Oefelein: Was he an active participant in this "relationship" with Nowak, or did she get fixated with no encouragement from him? How did Nowak manage to get access to what was on his computer? What was really going on behind the doors of the Nowak home?

And isn't it amazing how a mug shot can transform an all-American heroine into something that looks like trailer trash? They almost don't look like the same person. I suppose that might lend credence to the bipolar theory that others have proposed here.

Regardless of how this turns out, it's a sure thing that the closest Lisa Nowak will ever again get to Earth orbit will be the Southwest flights to and from Orlando for court appearances.

Sigh.

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Carly, Florida — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:19:16 GMT

Let's not forget that this just didn't *happen* to Nowak. She chose to stalk and assault Ms. Shipman. She tried to kidnap her, and she may have even killed her if she'd had the chance! She had 900 miles to mull it over and turn back, yet she did not. It isn't as if someone forced this upon her. I absolutely think she should be relieved of duty. If she can't handle the stress of a *perceived* relationship on an average day, why would anyone think she can handle the stress of a space mission? Nowak herself admitted that she and Oefelein didn't even have a romantic relationship!

Sure, people behave irrationally every now and then, but I know very few who drive 900 miles in a diaper to try to kidnap someone because they're dating the man you have a crush on! Come on! Nowak may be human, but she chose her career and she was aware of the pressure that came with it. It's not like when Britney has a meltdown and nothing but her bank account suffers.

Nowak is receiving slack that she does not deserve simply because she is an astronaut. If she and Oefelein had been college professors instead of astronauts, I doubt she'd be receiving any sympathy. When you are in a position where your subpar performance could compromise the lives of others, you cannot behave like a deranged person and expect to keep your job. Period.

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Scott — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:30:39 GMT

Quote;
"For decades, astronauts have been built up to be larger-than-life heroes - and now we have a larger-than-life space scandal that has at least temporarily pushed Lindsay, Paris and Britney below the fold. Britney may not always wear panties, but let me know when she starts wearing diapers".

Is Alan Boyle saying that women can't take the strain? I wonder.

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E, Triad area, North Carolina — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:36:34 GMT

Could this be a disease, a real one...i.e. Lyme Disease? There's a statistically high rate of something called Morgellan's Disease in the Houston and surrounding area, and 90% of those with Morgellan's actually have Lyme Disease. Lyme Disease is Syphilis but worse, and as the disease progresses, it causes the person to do more and more bizarre things. What if this all is a symptom of a neurological disease, specifically Lyme Disease? Has anyone postulated this question...but it will go "unnoticed" as some consequence of human behavior or a psychological issue?....which things like Syphilis and Lyme case....

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Joyce L. DeSanctis, Fort Myers, FL — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:37:29 GMT

Helloooooooo....since when in this country are you GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT? My God people, can't we as human beings ever give a person a "break" and WAIT to see just what in fact did happen, why it happened, etc. Why do "we" as a nation/people RUSH to find the person guilty before we know ALL the facts. I guess, the "Salem Witchhunts" are still active. Maybe we can burn her at the stake next weekend and ALL watch it on TV and eat popcorn?

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Carole T., LostAngeles, Ca — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:45:04 GMT

Isn't the sexual desire, urge, human foible, whatever, the strongest urge we have? Even overtaking food, for survival sake, I think the sexual desire is number one and explains that even the rocket scientist can fall from grace, because of it. I might be wrong here, but I think I've seen studies that testify to this. Kind of scary. Look at our own dear Mr. Clinton. One can discard the outcome, for the "now".

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Joe Johnson — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:45:06 GMT

NASA, National Astronautical Super Asset waster. This outfit is about as useful as the Iraq war effort.

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Ivy Larocque, Victoria, British Columbia — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:45:22 GMT

This woman needs to take responsibility for her actions. She drove over 900 miles to commit assault and potentially worse crimes. This was not just a spur-of-the-moment, impulsive act. She had plenty of time during her drive to think about what she was doing and it took planning ahead of time....hence the wearing of the diapers and the alleged murder kit in her car. It doesn't matter whether or not she "had an affair or a relationship" with a coworker, the end result is still the same. Separated or not from her husband, she made the choice to allegedly get involved with a coworker for which she also has to take responsiblity. I don't feel sorry for the way the media pursues this....they are there to sell their stories....you have to read any story in the media with an open-mind and think critically. Gossip sells...the juicier the better. The fact remains, no matter what the reason, mental breakdown or not, this woman needs to take responsibility for her actions...period. She needs help of some kind. It is just unfortunate that she has three children that will be affected.

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Michelle Odoski ( Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:46:29 GMT

I really think your military personnel and officers are put on pedestals that are questionable in politics. It appears that initiative and merit achievments do not produce gainful employment for the averag American men or women. Your civil rights eras of government and military selection process revolves around political blackmail, extortion in the federal court system and quota system with Bill Of Rights memorbilia on the wall. This is how I view Military Intelligence. These men and women do not follow the average moral and ethical rules of life. As far as healthcare support network systems suggestion ? The average American does not have any health care at all and deals with distress, physical injuries everyday of their American lives. Its supposedly builds strong character.

I do not have too much empathy for this American women because she was paid more than minimum wage with all the comforts of life. The problem was she could not play by ethical and moral rules of life.

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ROY — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:56:37 GMT

As a officer in the Army, I clearly see the "double standard" when i comes to females. She is getting sympathy with all the stress she was under. I just got back from Iraq and suffer from PTSD, who cares? When you are smart,pretty and a female you get treated differently with punishment. Nothing will happen to her at the end.

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Jim T. — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:03:00 GMT

Love is the greatest of all motivaters. Almost always it motivates us towards good but sometimes evil. It crosses all boundries including status, education, and especially reasoning.

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MJB, Wheeling IL — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:06:51 GMT

Just an everyday premeditated plan to harm if not kill another person. Why is she being played the victim by the media? Influence, Influence, Influence!

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Guy S. Newell — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:07:02 GMT

How would these comments read if this had been a man? Who would be making excuses for him? Whatever the reason, whatever happened between her ears, this woman belongs in Levenworth. For a very long time. She was prepared to kill and dispose of the body. Not funny.

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Chris Donato, Montrose, New York — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:09:30 GMT

I think that this was a tragic event. I too would like to become an astronaut. Although what she was planning was not normal, I think everyone should leave it alone. She is human. Humans make mistakes. That is how we learn. She has a family that doesn't need to see this. All the news stations should think of people other than themselves and forget about ratings and leave her alone. Even the President makes mistakes. Why? He is human too! Let Lisa live a life and forget about worrying about your ratings!

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Melissa — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:09:51 GMT

Hey, Joan from Toronto---who set you up as the moral arbitor of Western Civilization??? What, Canada doesn't have crime? If we're the Roman Empire, you folks are the prisoners of Gaul--so hand over the spoils and pick up the scrub brush....

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Bob Cruz — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:44:19 GMT

This woman has singlehandedly demoted NASA from its pedestaled existence.

Forget the love triangle. The only thing sticking in people's heads (and probably the only reason this story got as much press as it did) is the "diaper-angle".

From now - kids no doubt will question their parents when it comes to pondering careers: "Mommy/Daddy - do you have to wear diapers to become an astronaut?"

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Wendy Triggs — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:46:07 GMT

Listen up people. She was once a capable, highly trained, sane individual who did her job and did it well. Just because you are a high achieving, highly skilled person does not make one immune to falling over the deep end when matters of the heart are concerned.

Most of us thnk we could never be pushed over our "mental edge" until we have experienced a death, a divorce, a painful, a betrayal, a gut wrenching breakup.

There is no NASA test that can measure what can happen when your heart breaks into a thousand pieces.

She deserves prison time.

She needs a shrink.

Just remember - she is a United States Astronaut and she got there by NOT being a lunatic.

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Tom Gaylord, Phoenix, Arizona — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:48:48 GMT

Her career on this planet is over. Period. Not even a discussion point. Her sordid actions are already on world outlets like wikipedia that won't fade away like what we say on a current events blog... . Once the 'NET' has you, it's game over.

She has one thing to worry about now - and it isn't kids, ex-husband, an infatuation with somebody else's boyfriend, or the National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW) - it is minimizing her prison sentence. To do that she will need lots of money, lots of smoke and mirrors lawyers, and she'll need her gloves back so she can show a jury that they don't fit.

She has hurt her case a lot already by her police statement. Not much of a chance in totally dodging the attempted kidnapping charge, which in FL comes with a stiff behind bars sentence.

Best case scenario? She can beat the attempted murder rap if she gets the fat cats in the US legal system to argue for her - which shouldn't be too difficult in this case, and play the mental illness card heavily.

Indeed, methinks when all this is sinking in for her, her real lifelong battle will be depression of a depth few of you can fathom. One that never goes away... that never diminishes with time... that makes one essentially dysfunctional on many of the dimensions that people who excel need fully functioning and unencumbered. The shame she has brought down on her family, the disappointment to NASA, the betrayal felt by all the people and organizations that held her up as a role model, the joke she has become to many... the loss of everything she was will be an incredible weight for her to shoulder... She will be labeled a criminal, a felon... an all-American girl and former space traveller no longer able to freely travel or even vote. "Friends" who haven't already deserted her, will... in droves. [...]

Tom

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R. Hayes Atlanta GA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 20:53:10 GMT

This woman should be dealt with like any other active duty member, and as any other citizen. She is subject to both the UCMJ as well as civilian law. She certainly appears to be terribly emotionally unstable, but that's a far cry from proving she's "psychotic". In my view she clearly demonstrated an understanding of "right and wrong" when she tried to dispose of the various pieces of evidence prior to her arrest. Unless facts come out to prove otherwise, she is totally responsible for her actions and should be held accountable like everyone else. I dont care how "stressed" or disappointed or whatever she was feeling. Nor was it a "crime of passion" when you consider the premeditation descibed and the fact she had a 900 mile trek to cool down or whatever.

We can only speculate what her true ultimate plan really was....but reasonable people dont desguise themselves and take guns, knives, latex gloves etc just to "talk" to someone. Who knows what she was going to do next if her efforts to incapacitate her victim with the pepper spray had been successful. Thankfully the victim was able to drive away to get help. I'm no Dick Tracy...but I wouldnt expect CAPT Nowak to actually tell authorities the truth in that regard, after the fact. I realize the full investigation is not complete, but for now some common sense would be in order.

As for the diapers...I realize people use them in space travel but here on earth, reasonable people just use the rest room when they stop for gas. I mean, in the absence of a medical indication for diapers, if an adult just chooses to wear them I'm inclined to think they just like them.

I hope she gets the help she needs....But I also hope she's held accountable for her actions as the facts would dictate when it's all said and done.

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Richard — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:36:17 GMT

Nothing to worry about. All are humans. Show some mercy.

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Lloyd Todd — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:36:41 GMT

How about the case of Capt. Charles Eldon Brady, Jr. MD? Stress or just life? Ten years after his flight is he still lumped in the same group?

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Paul, Canada — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:42:50 GMT

What's pathetic is that anyone would give undue sympathy to this womam just because she is an astronaut. She is obviously an intelligent (gone bat-s!*t crazy) person and knew what she was doing. Her defense lawyers will beat the temporary insanity plea to death, good luck... Change this story to a male astronaught going after another man for going after his woman with a murder/torture/use your imagination kit in his posession while in disguise. You gonna feel sorry for him? No, just another wack-job.

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George Shannon, Petoskey, Michigan — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:45:18 GMT

Let's get real here. Mix young,healthy,intelligent people of both genders together. Add a good dose of stress, and you are going to get exactly what happend with Lisa Nowak. Look at what has been happening at the service academies all too frequently and the subsequent costs to us taxpayers to sort it all out.

That is the real crime here. Of course, when NASA eventually does go on deep space missions, you are going to have both genders involved. That's a given, so figure out what will work and what won't or we'll end up with something akin to Dr Strangelove's solution.

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Nancy Kerns , Ft. Mohave Az — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:50:46 GMT

whatever her reason she needs to be held accountable in any case. Being a military officer does have its code of conducts and whatever the reasoning should be upheld.

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KJW Madison, Wisconsin — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 22:23:03 GMT

Why are people not questioning the man involved? Surely he may have enjoyed two women fighting over him. He did not cause Lisa to behave like this, but I'll bet he could have done more to get it this blown out of proportion.

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lori lincoln — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 22:33:33 GMT

regardless of her motivation, why was she carrying garbage bags? usually people use garbage bags to dispose of items...like bodies......evidence.....

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Will Gibson — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 22:35:08 GMT

There are nut cases (and mentally ill homeless) all over this country. ALL of them just as invisible as Lisa Nowak. The fact that there was a problem in her home life and that she became deranged prompted no action,apparently, from anyone. No religious, social or professional organization, family member or EMPLOYER seemed to notice, or if they did, chose not to get involved.

We need to be here now!

& Learn how to take better care of each other in this country. Or, Is the notion of a "common good" just a tired cliche?

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, have become,
comfortablyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy numb.
Zero hours 9 am.

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Bob Farrell, Rochester, NY — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 22:48:53 GMT

Who knows what she was thinking or what she would have actually done. We all have changed our minds at one time or another when we were focused on something that we knew wasn't a good thing. They are going to have a tough time in court to convict her with reasonable doubt for attempted murder. I think when it's all said and done, they only will be able to get the aggravated assault to stick--which means she might be out with community service. Oh yes, this is after the taxpayers pay hundreds of thousands to try her.

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Mario, Orangevale, CA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:09:39 GMT

Bill Clinton convinced me that I don't want my kids to grow up to be President. Now Nowak has made growing up to be an astronaut as repugnant.

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Eric H. RSM, CA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:12:34 GMT

I challenge anyone of find a Lisa Nowak in the NASA directory a year from now...She will most likely retire, and then write a book about how mental illness affects highly motivated people. Academy Grad, Accomodations...One bad decision, and a lifetime if flushed down the toilet. Hope he was worth it!!!

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Judy, philadelphia — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:17:02 GMT

I can imagine how stressful life this lady has had (career and three kids). I think the public should forgive her...

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Lawrence J, Yakima, Washington — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:18:52 GMT

I think when people look at the facts in this case, they will find that no matter how nutty it seems that she put on diapers and drove accross country, she was in complete control of the situation. To blame the attempted kidnap and murder on anything other a jealous person who became insanely jealous is rediculous. Passing it off as being bipolar is like saying Jeffrey Dahmer probably wouldn't have did what he did if he were only a vegetarian.

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Peter Burke New York NY — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:21:31 GMT

To John Doe,
I thank you for stating what everyone should already know. Obviously this woman was in some kind of mental psychosis and should not be held legally responsible for her actions untill she receives a full mental evaluation. Trust me, this person did not wake up that morning and coolly say to herself, "Gee I think I will do something today so out of character and so unlike me that it will tarnish the space program and ruin my life".

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John Doe, Seattle, WA — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 23:28:37 GMT

I think we should show some compassion to Novak. Mental stress from her husband splitting up with her obviously caused her to go over the deep end. That astronaut was the only thing that she thought was left for her to have. I will not say it was right for what she did but we all need to show some compassion in the sense that she needs some help.

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DMJ, Salem, Oregon — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:20:51 GMT

I've seen it all before in high tech careers and extremely stressful jobs. These people have a lot of demands put on them on a day to day basis. They also have jobs that are unforgiving if they make a mistake. Their co-workers depend on them to do their jobs very precisely and to always do it right the first time, otherwise people get hurt or die. Having spent 20 years in the fighter jet world, I have seen fighter pilots behave like complete idiots when not on duty. They have an arrogance above all else. This arrogance is what keeps them alive in combat and makes them the best at what they do. They couldn't survive without their arrogance. It also makes them less than suitable in their public behavior. Have a look around at other career fields. People with high levels of arrogance do best in stressfull jobs, but also tend to have a few more screws loose than the general public. Higher intelligence seems to play a big role in this. Even most serial killers have a very high IQ.

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Eric Hv. RSM, CA — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:24:00 GMT

You are right...After carefully reading this, I think this woman is a victim of a under-senstive, hot-jock shuttle pilot, who has throun her away like yesterdays newspaper. We would feel for her, and maybe, after some counselling, she should return to her highly visible, great paying role model position she enjoys at NASA. It is the guy who really needs the sensitivity training. Maybe Ms. Shipman should be brought in as being the cause of this meltdown. She should really have just agreed to talk with Ms. Nowak, instead of running away to Florida, to avoid this mess. Poor Lisa, er. Capt. Nowak.

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Eric Hv. RSM, CA — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:29:33 GMT

Actually, Capt. Nowak was performing an experiment in Thermodynamics. You see, by cooling off the car while fueling and going to the bathroom, you are affecting gas miliage. If you maintain a constant temperature, by pumping gas while the engine running, you can achieve the Stellar 900Miles. I applaud her for her ingenuity.

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Tom Holt, Chittenango, NY — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:32:10 GMT

Wow. Too bad the President's committment to return to the moon and on to Mars doesn't get this kind of attention. Too bad the House proposing a half-billion dollar cut to the NASA budget this year doesn't get this kind of attention... this kind of response from the media and the public to this tragic story is quite a reflection on the American psyche, isn't it?

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Terry in Western New York — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 00:38:58 GMT

I, frankly, am sick and tired of the media perpetually beating a horse. I seems that our most "magnificent" reporters relish the dust and dirt that human lives sometimes collect. I don't call them reporters any more. They are only "entertainers," "actors," and "actresses" paid to read the news printed on a monitor, the dirtier the better. And we let them do it. Turn off the channel, write the station and tell them you are sick of it. But how many of us do??

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George Orbin — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:14:02 GMT

Ahh shucks, folks...don't be sooooo analytical about this. This gal had a tryst when her marriage was probably on-the-rocks, got dumped after 19 years of having someone around, realized that fact and went after someone who wooed and wowed her, only to find out of his 'current' lover, which through her over the edge. She certainly had malice in mind with that other woman, fer sure. Yup, she surely ended up doing herself in instead. I saw many a flick with that storyline. Let's wish her well, but take away the shuttle keys, just in case. Whatcha think?

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Jane Doe, Port Charlotte, FL — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:15:32 GMT

Perhaps other "breakdowns" have occurred within the confines of the space program, and we just haven't heard about it. I have watched a few documentaries about the dangers of going into space, including the hazard of solar radiation sickness. Maybe this incident is just the beginning of what is happening to some of those who are chosen to go into space. Could it be more of a risk than we are led to believe? I'm not saying I condone her behavior, far from it, but if things like this start happening more often to astronauts, maybe more tests need to be conducted after the astronauts come back from space, you know, to see if there's some kind of pattern involved....

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Jane Ray, Colorado Springs, Colorado — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:37:17 GMT

There is more to this story than meets the eye.

I'm very sure that there are more sordid details coming our way, courtesy of the Press, which seems to think it works for the National Enquirer rather than respectable news reporting agencies.

If these people cleaned offices for a living, would this have even made it out of the metro section of your local newspaper? So I say, leave her alone.
This sort of thing happens every day. Unfortunately for Mrs. Nowak, her name shows up as "newsworthy", so somebody thinks that we all care. And now this woman's poor judgement, personal life, career and romantic interests are displayed for public discussion and ridicule. I feel very sorry for her.

I sincerely hope that she gets the help she needs, and that something more interesting happens in the world so that she doesn't have to suffer this humiliation in public.

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Dave Valant — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 01:39:34 GMT

I'm just glad she was on earth when she blew her mental gasket. Has NASA lowered it's emotional screening process to allow more females into the program? This nut case should never be allowed within 20 miles of a shuttle, once she is out of prison that is.

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P Y Uyeno — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 02:06:17 GMT

Like a cheesy made-for-TV drama - actually, a trashy melodrama, that's 90 minutes long, but is stretched to 2 agonizingly long hours by commercial interruptions. It will be badly written, but based on a true story, which is supposedly SO COMPLETELY CREDIBLE.

This story will be awfully acted by those actors whose facial features can only convey sadness or catatonia, or both, and will most likely appear on the cable channel, Lifetime.

PLOT: This true romantic potboiler, which portrays one woman's psycho-gyroscrope gone awry and way, way offline. But, it'll give the audience the true picture of our heroine's Janet Leigh-PSYCHO journey, ticking off all of the pre-Altheimer's hours - minute, by minute, with our heroine wearing her plastic adult diapers, a brand most surely supplied by one of the movie's sponsors.

Since cable movies like this are designed as "spacers" for commercials-broadcasting - 3 minutes of commercials, for every 3 minutes of movie, you'll see a lot of cars screeching away or coming to a halt, folks chasing other folks across the landscape on foot, the members of the cast talking on their cell phones as they're seen moving from the kitchen set to the living room set. Oh, of course, the movie will most certainly have all of the characters exhibiting countless wounded, frozen deer-in-the-headlights-looks galore, too.

We, the audience, gets where this is all going pretty quickly. A portrait of a fairly dull, sick individual's trip to Disney World City to scratch up and scratch out her love-interest rival's eyes! The plot only sort of thickens by the introduction of Hollywood-production "pectin", as the audience tries to guess what it was that triggered our plucky heroine/victim's unfathomable manic, desperate trip. Was the no-rest-stop, Orlando-bound bee-line trip made only to thwart her rival's efforts to grab her man's affections, or was it (ominously!) something else?

The real buzz about this made-for-TV movie will be: Did the Hollywood production types actually feed the actor protraying our heroine Pop Rocks, to make it appear as if she was actually frothing at the mouth at the time she was aprehended by the Orlando authorities?

And after the trial and incarceration in the state (Florida or Texas, whoever wants her the most!) mental facility, will we see our heroine achieve true love? Who will be the inevitable love interest? The sympathetic psychiatrist/psychologist who treats her and takes interest/pity in her case? Or will it be, perhaps, a fellow-sufferer of mind-melting dementia like herself? Will there be a fist-fight(s), or blazing guns wedged somewhere into the plot to keep the audience awake?

TUNE IN & STAY TUNED-IN!

REVIEW: This story's already been told countless deja-vu times. What makes it unique - the agency for which our heroine works. Ho-hum, this three-cornered love plot is the story of one sorry, smitten dummy, whose (unrequitted?) love for a fellow astronaut caused that wrenching tear in our heroine's rationality-tether, leaving her to drift freely out into space, towards - where else, the Outer Limits!

A Romantic/disaster flick, NASA 2007, a true story and a early entry (for 2008 Golden Globes consideration in the awards race circuit). Already, this review sounds so deadly dull that even I won't watch this one!

Lady, you had a little taste of Life on the edge, it was a lot exciting, a lot romantic, and oh so dangerously sweet. Only snag: you didn't know how to handle any of "this", once you stumbled clumsily over it, and in the end, you just plain...blew it!

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Joe Martin — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 02:17:51 GMT

To the talking heads: If they had done their homework they would have known female fighter crewmembers wear diapers while flying! The relief tube on fighters are for males. Ask the gal pilot for Air Force Thunderbirds. Although unusual but a very private part of being a fighter pilot (back seater in this ladies case). Nobody mentioneed that the lady just recently had a baby! Do you think that might of affected her psychic. NASA should have paid attention to the well being of it's crewmembers and stop making "crappy" excuses.

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DC, MD, Oshkosh, WI — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 03:17:57 GMT

This woman clearly has bipolar disorder. Even the limited history makes this obvious. This is the same disease that the character from the recent movie "Proof" probably had. Also the character from the movie "A Beutiful Mind" much more likely had Bipolar disorder than Schizophrenia. It is a treatable condition. I would bet this was not her first manic episode. The interesting part will be how an insanity plea will go over.

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T. Tran, Honolulu, HI — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 03:40:01 GMT

I thought the criticism of the "Superstar Culture" commentary missed its mark. I may not know one single name of a Ranger or a SEAL Commando but they're definitely a "Superstar" in their chosen field. It is reasonable to think that in the event of some wrongdoing, the offending Commando could get preferential treatments, especially if the situation can be swept under the rug (didn't we saw some of that in Iraq and Cuba)? It's a classic syndrome of "what have you done for me lately?" and like it or not that is the reality of our society. But to be fair, we have to keep in mind that there have not been any proof of any cover up for any wrongdoing by an astronaut in the past.

I thought NASA handles this case with class. Yes, Novak put them in a very compromised position. But their position is "we just want to get her home" and take care of her needs. I suppose there is going to be some sort of punitive action at a later date, but they did the right thing by not focusing on that.

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Cyn , Deland , Fla — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 04:10:09 GMT

Ok, Ok I know it's sad, lots of people affected, tornados in Florida...yada, yada. But who can resist the humor. Really "lust in space", "Gerry Springer does NASA"... "Clueless is Orlando"...Wait! I Know who did it....it was Mrs. Astronaut, in the airport, with a BB gun, wearing a diaper. Would love to hear Dave's top ten reasons not P-off a female astronaut. Will she plead insanity by reason of zero gravity. And the list goes on.....

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bigun6605, Montgomery, Al — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 05:27:25 GMT

To "Joan in Toronto", I agree with Melissa about you being the moral arbiter of the US, but remember Romans called the North Italians "barbarians with togas", so if the shoe fits....

I guess what irritated me about Captain (0-6 grade)Nowack was her career as a fighter jock, test pilot, and NASA. I wanted to be an Air Force pilot, but my eyeballs weren't very good. I could not even enlist in the Air Force. Oh for 20/20 vision, life is then your sugarplum.

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Joe-Mesquite, TX — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 13:16:12 GMT

Given the "culture" at the Naval Academy, it would be interesting to know what kind of problems she suffered while there--could be anything [...]

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jackl, New York — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:10:03 GMT

Wow, this event seems to be kind of a rorschach test for people's attitudes about crime and punishment, doesn't it?

Pretty much universally, the women are sympathetic to Captain Nowak...talk about bipolar disorder, the stress of being an astronaut/military officer, irrationalism of sexual love, need for compassion, treatment, understanding, etc.

The men, those who aren't already ******* themselves silly about the diapers thing, are more judgmental, talking about court martials, "lock em up and throw away the key", obviously focusing on the "double standard" that Nowack obviously seemed intent on causing harm, perhaps fatal, to her love rival so she should be treated just as we would any (male) criminal that knowingly, intentionally "broke the law".

While I can certainly conjure up some empathy for the good Captain, I just want to say that in committing a violent crime, she has done more than about half of the 2,000,000 incarcerated persons in the U.S. who have not physically harmed another person but are serving time for the "victimless crimes" of choosing a politically incorrect drug to injest, ususally while being black, brown and male (we have been making great strides recently in equal opportunity for women in that regard unfortunately.

I am more for the compassion and treatment towards offenders than is the norm in our culture. I just hate the double standard. Should this woman go free while tens of thousands of other women sit in prison for usually inconsequential participation in the "drug conspiracies" our government sees everywhere (e.g., knowing your boyfriend is a "dealer").

The comments of many of the ladies above remind me most of the apologists for O.J. of a decade ago.

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John, Baltimore — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 14:43:25 GMT

Many of you don't get it, do you. She wanted to off this woman and make it back to Texas quickly. The diapers were to minimize stops, and no paper trail.

Her plan was to deep six her and get back to Texas quickly so as to have somwehat of an alibi.

"Gee officer, I am here in Texas and she was killed in Florida, I could not possibly have done it."

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pa 1 — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:02:26 GMT

Now its up to the Navy, NASA will give her back to the Navy for cause, then its off the war.

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H. Hemingway — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:34:53 GMT

First of all, I don't know how this woman is supposed to get a fair trial anywhere in the U.S. with such varied opinions right or left wing, on this pre-trial public trial! What happened to innocent UNTIL PROVEN quilty in a COURT OF LAW. Come on people! All she did so far, is drive 900 miles in a pair of diapers and a wig and spray the lady with mace. What she PLANNED to do is neither here nor there right now.

That is the thing about this great country, which by the way she proudly served, and you can't take that away from her, no matter what she does or does not say or do. There is a PRESUMPTION of INNOCENCE and you folks that have her tried and convicted before she even gets due process should be ashamed of yourselves--You are so guilty of a far worse crime against the constitutional rights your forfathers fought so hard and died for, by convicting this woman and finding her Guilty before proven Innocent!

Secondly-don't you think you should wait to hear ALL the evidence, both defense and prosecution, before you pass judgement? That's the way it is done in my world in the 20th century still. What world do you all reside in?????

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the don pensacola fl — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:38:41 GMT

if she was an enlisted person she would still be in jail and if released taken back to texas in a truck

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skeptical1der, TX — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:44:18 GMT

Actually, the women who fly on military aircraft have tubes adapted to them; I know this from a woman pilot. Diapers are also an option but no one I knew ever wore them.

Also, her kids are five; she did not just have a baby.

And here we go with the "women aren't fit" and "women are too emotional" to play with the boys. There are plenty of men out there that can't hack it either. Exhibit 1: Ensign George P. Smith...the submarine officer that murdered his former fiancee and a mutual friend then turned the gun on himself in 1993. Turned out his psych screening failed to weed him out as a psycho, too. The point is some psycho people make it through the cracks, both men and women lose it, and no crackpots of either gender belong in space or locked in a jet or sub. There are men and women just not suited to high stress jobs; stop playing gender cards (and on that note, a man would not have received bail, so why did she?? Attorneys need to quit playing gender cards, too.)

Bigun, I couldn't be a pilot either for that same reason, but you are allowed to enlist. Yay. CAPT Nowak had it all and pissed it all away; time for people to place the blame where it belongs...on her. She did this to herself.

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Rachel Grissom, PA — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 15:58:47 GMT

Hello America... we should all wake up and be ashamed of ourselves for the attention that this story is getting. People do stupid things every day in the name of love. As a paramedic, I see people getting into fights and injured all the time over love gone wrong, but not one incident has ever been picked up by the media. The fact that this accomplished woman was an astronaut is irrelevant. No one is immune to stress and even the best of us can act with extremely poor judgement when faced with affairs of the heart.

I agree that the media only serves on purpose in today's world- to sling dirt.

As far as comparing an astronaut to celebrities- there is no comparison. The people in the space program are accomplished individuals that are using their intelligence to better society. What exactly are all those grossly overpaid athletes and Hollywood types doing? America wonders why it falls behind other countries in science, math, and engineering.

Finally, that movie "The Right Stuff" was a terrible portrayl of what one man imagined project Mercury was all about. The way Tom Wolfe portrayed Gus Grissom, who died in the Apollo 1 fire on the lauchpad, was sad to say the least. I wouldn't believe anything about that movie- it is 'based on a true story,' and I am sure some things were added for dramatic effect!

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Erik Janikowski — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 17:52:56 GMT

I wish people would stop complaining about the medias coverage of this story. ANYONE (myself included) who bothers to come here and post is just contributing to the hoopla surrounding this. The reason the media keep covering this is because people want to hear about it.

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Alec West - Portland, OR — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:00:29 GMT

In my last post yesterday, I suggested that the rabbit hole went much deeper. Well, descending into the hole one level, the first truth has emerged. The male astronaut in this triangle, Oefelein, is divorced. Guess why?

Michaella Oefelein, his ex-wife, filed for divorce because her husband was in a relationship with Nowak. This is according to her mom, Charlene Davis. Davis stopped short of calling it an "affair," choosing to refer to it as an "inappropriate relationship." Though no one knows for sure, I suspect this relationship also caused the separation between Nowak and her husband.

Two truths appear to be emerging:

(1) Colleen Shipman appears to be the totally innocent party of the three. Since Oefelein was divorced, Shipman had every right to a relationship with him regardless of how many other women might be interested in him - including Nowak. Character references from a neighbor and a former school superintendent paint a picture of a "girl next door" caught in the middle of an existing relationship between a married man and married woman who both had, to some extent, abandoned respect for their existing marital obligations with spouses to be together.

(2) Expect an insanity defense - both in civilian court and in military court. Nowak's attorney is already beginning to gather evidence to substantiate this ... including statements from colleagues that she'd been mentally torn up ever since the loss of three close friends (astronauts) in the Columbia disaster. Couple that with the pressure of being in a high-profile, high-demand profession and attempting to be a mother to three children -- well, you get the picture that will be painted for the jury (or juries).

Personal take on all this? If the sex roles were reversed, a violent male astronaut would probably be locked up with the key thrown away. However, I predict Nowak has a chance of getting away with this scot-free. If Nowak has psychiatric support in court, apologizes convincingly to the court (and Shipman), her only civilian punishment will probably be an outpatient psychiatric regimen - and instead of getting a dishonorable discharge from the Navy, she'll likely get a medical discharge and possibly qualify for disability retirement.

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Catherine, Michigan — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:19:37 GMT

“Why successful people snap” – simply put : Envy -Greed –Gluttony. Pretty common sins of even the “lowliest” of human species. But most of us just know better. What a bunch of crap thinking that a member of the “elite and highly educated” could be excused, pitied or even understood because of a lapse in judgment. Along with her self importance and her elite intelligence, her self-righteousness just figured she wouldn’t get caught. Now, if it had been a “common folk” committing this act, they’d be sitting in a cell throughout the whole judicial process and serving a long time in prison. It shouldn’t take a scientist to prove the premeditation. A radio announcer had a pretty good take on it. The only thing that saved the “alleged” victim was her own sharp forethought to not roll the window down all the way. She’d be dead, chopped up and put into a lot of garbage bags. I feel no pity for this Nowak person. She can’t even lie well.

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Eduardo J. Cera-Calderon, Paterson, NJ — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:53:20 GMT

The analogy with Britney Spears possibility of wearing a diaper is inadequate at best. I've been diagnosed bipolar with psychotic features since '94 and retired from the US Postal Service in '04 and I don't believe Mrs. Nowak "snapped." Her premeditated self-destructive behavior and potential to harm another colleague with maze warrants discipline under UCMJ and she should face whatever charges brought up against her for crossing state lines and breaking many laws. Bipolars are fully accountable for their behavior in my state, btw (I don't know about other states). Mrs. Nowak wanted to "just talk to" her victim alright. I'm amazed at her resourfulness in having printed out private e-mails. She had a love letter from Mr. Offelein, too. The object of her affection should be accountable and the probability of a love triangle investigated. I don't agree our astronauts are monsters nor superstars, but we as a society have been guilty of hero worship many times.

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SnottyNozeBratt, Hotlanta, GA — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 23:12:27 GMT

It didn't happen in a vacuum.

The only girls I've ever known that went nutso on a guy - THE GUY was the type to lie and say anything to bed them, then dump them at the drop of a hat. The manipulation of their emotions was the key factor. Sounds like a rerun. I think we ought to check out the angles on the other side of this triangle, than presume its all her being "crazy". I'd bet theres a pattern there.

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Frank Glover — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:34:02 GMT

To CCaudi:

Are you suggesting that machines can carry out their extramarital affairs more efficently and cheaply than humans? (I knew that someone, somewhere, would link this to the humans vs. robots in space debate).

I suppose Yuri Gagarin or Neil Armstrong are names that many people would not (but should) think of when asked what 'advances an astronaut has made,' but with the possible exceptions of the Hubble space Telescope and the Cassini probe, most of them will not think of anything done by unmanned spacecraft, either. (This, however, may be more a matter of a public marginally interested in being informed of such things, than their actual importance.) I'm even more certain that they can't name any of the satellites that deliver their telecommunications or video services, and in this case, should not be expected to. This IS something that should be a seamless, virtually invisible part of the infrastructure, as much as those 'window washers.'

(And BTW, no single astronaut, or ground controller of a space probe makes ANY discovery or advancement totally alone...that's why they're referred to as 'projects' and 'programs'and 'teams.' You are absolutely right, however, about the risks of involvement with co-workers, in *any* job.)

Indeed, over the coming decades, being part of the crew of a spacecraft (and not necessarily one operated by a government) will also become a non-celebrity background job, though like commercial aircraft piloting, may still be seen as somewhat of a 'glamor' job, even if we can't name any of its workers. (in which case events like the recent ones would tend to stay in the 'Peyton Place'-like background that 'John Doe' refers to..no one outside a limited circle will care, unless something espically nasty happens.

But as long as humans in space have a celebrity status, the potential for this kind of attention to personal unplesantness will exist. Like it or not, the public loves to see:

1 Celebrities in trouble, and

2 Gruesome murder cases.

This is why we can't forget O.J. Simpson (nor will he let us, but that's another story...), he appears to have given us both. Lisa Nowak has also given us the former, and may or may not have been intending mayhem approaching the latter.

For better or worse, this is what we seem to want, and the media (whatever that really is) will feed it.

But perhaps fortunately, public attention spans on such things are fairly short, and the next pop-culture event will only tend to distract us from this one. What's that? Anna Nicole Smith died? Umm, Lisa who...?

I believe 'BG and Bill T' summed this situation up well enough. Her value as an astronaut may already be shot. A personal shame, considering how hard it is to get such a gig.

And to Bob Cruz: How you go to the bathroom in space is *already* one of the most-asked questions of astronauts...

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Thomas Walsh — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 01:49:17 GMT

Many years ago I read an article by the analyst Karl Jung. He told the story of young collegue who went to see him professionally. The collegue had a dream about sitting on a 'potty' and playing with his feces. Dr. Jung claimed he went into an internal panic because this dream indicated the 'patient' was about to become psychotic! He sweated through the interview until the man left. Perhaps this patient, believing in some kind 'psychologism', was about to suffer this fate. I threw this book, and all other such, in the trash where they belong - along with all belief in analytical or psychiatric 'prognosis'. Science or Politics?

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Jimmy Stevenson, Vienna, VA — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:38:30 GMT

Like some earlier posts, I too have a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder with Psychotic Features (Bipolar I). I am also a former Army officer (honorably discharged as a Captain O-3).

After reviewing her bio on the web, she is a very accomplished person. This high achievement level does not equate to the type of irrational actions she did this past weekend. Usually people like her are highly rational, have a lot of common sense and are extremely calculating.

In my opinion, it seems logical that she was probably suffering from a psychotic episode and probably due from Bipolar I. Her irrational actions would support this theory.

Why was she in the military in the first place then? The stressful training is designed to weed out people with my illness, however when you are young, the symptoms are not as severe as when older and one can just “suck it up” and get by. For example I graduated number one out of 200 in basic training with no bipolar symptoms, but in Ranger School the psychotic symptoms hit me in the swamp phase at Eglin AFB (at about week 6). It was pretty rough for the last 2 to 3 weeks and I was hearing a lot of voices and quite delusional and I couldn’t figure it out at the time. But I continued and still graduated and got my tab though.

As an active duty officer in Europe the symptoms came back and I realized I had to quit the service. By quitting I gave up a lot, but I could not guarantee the safety of myself nor those around me. It was the right thing to do. But I never went in for help for the illness and would not find out what it was until years later when the symptoms popped up again.

In the military, we all know about “don’t ever ask, don’t ever tell”. It means don’t ever ask to see a military shrink and don’t ever tell that you are hearing voices or having paranoid delusions (psychosis symptoms). Why? Because psychosis gives somebody an immediate exit from the military with a medical retirement of 50% of your base pay (the infamous Section 8). No questions asked. This would have applied to Captain Nowak as well.

She probably should have gotten counseling, lithium and Zyprexa at least 6 months ago. That would have been proactive measures. I’ll bet she is getting that now. It’s a little too late though. Once she gets her sanity back and realizes the severity of her actions it will be difficult to get a recovery.

My heart goes out to her and everyone she has impacted.

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William Broadbent Hoyer Junior, Danbury, CT. — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:40:01 GMT

It has all been forseen in the Holy Scriptures.
SODOM AND GOMORRAH!
We shall sow what we do reap.
Love,
William.

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Wendy King, New Orleans, Louisiana — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 20:13:17 GMT

What happened with Lisa Nowak could happen to any of us, and that's what's so fascinating and frightening about her meltdown. She got to fly in the space shuttle, fell for a fellow astronaut, saw Ms.Shipman as a romantic rival, and almost killed her. I agree that Lisa Nowak probably has a bipolar disorder, which, after she has been disciplined and removed from the space program, can be treated with medication. She will need to take that treatment for the rest of her life, if she is to have a stable life. Also, she will need another outlet for her energy and talents. I don't think NASA will ever allow her back into its space program. My heart really goes out to her husband and family, who will need counseling for a long time. I'm glad NASA is going to rethink its astronaut screening program. It should make mental,emotional and psychological counseling available to its astronauts, whether they're in training or have been in the astronaut program for a long time, after they have passed NASA's extensive screenings. It seems that coming "back to earth" after flying in one of the Space Shuttles, working in the International Space Station, and walking in space, is harder than any of us imagined. It's clear from what happened to Lisa Nowak and her family that no one in her community was prepared for the consequences of balancing being an astronaut with the demands of parenthood and trying to live a "normal life", afterwards. The "glory days" of NASA's flyboys are long past. Today's astronauts need more support from NASA. While many astronauts have come back, and have resumed their lives, or, like Sally Ride and Mae Jemison, have become positive role models, others have had a harder time readjusting to a more "earthbound" life.

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Ignatz Toecheese, Cocoa Beach, FL — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 20:34:06 GMT

YES, LET US ALL NOW SYMPATHIZE WITH THE PLIGHT OF "ASTRONAUT STRESS SYNDROME"!! Those poor astronauts - what a STRESSFUL existence they lead and how little do the rest of us understand the grueling life that is endured by such a misunderstood subculture of our society. They are scrutinized to the hilt and have little time for meeting their interpersonal relationship needs. What a hellish existence they must have. It is especially difficult for Lisa Nowak since she is persecuted by NASA - no time for her children or her emotional wants and needs. Who wouldn't crack under the strain and torture of being denied ones' most basic rights? I say that NASA and the government must start an astronaut awareness support group so that the general population at large can become sensitized to the hardship and cruelties that this subgroup minority is relegated to. How many of us "normals" really know what it is like to be subjected to the rigors of being an astronaut, especially female ones? It is high time and long overdue that we, as a society, must recognize this as drain on our resources and end the suffering that has persisted from one astronaut generation to the next.

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Chris Kurz, Dacula, Georgia — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 07:33:16 GMT

The astronaut corps is far from truly being a celebrity culture. These people work intensely hard, with a very rigid schedule that does not allow them to be partying swashbucklers or funloving, highflying types seen in finance, business, or law. Ultimately - except for the thrill of a rare space flight - the job is routine, year after year, with immense amounts of training, experienced in intensity and degree perhaps only by doctors and PHD graduate students. Furthermore, they live under constant scrutiny by the military and/or NASA and most of them probably feel intense pressure to circumscribe their personality and behavior unlike true celebrities of pop culture, media, sports, and even business (who also work hard) but are actually expected to be personalities of eccentric character at times, even being celebrated for their "odd" and "bad" behavior every now and then. Having been a pilot in the military (a profession of great discipline and routine, but not nearly to the degree of an astronaut), I don't think being an astronaut is glamorous, although I have the highest respect for these ambitious and dedicated engineers and scientists. It is truly sad to witness the "meltdown" by Lisa Nowak - who was unable to maintain the discipline so demanded by her profession and professional culture.

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Miland Joshi, UK — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 19:06:42 GMT

She is still a trained astronaut, a most accomplished person. In the view of this UK civilian, it would be regrettable to waste such promising material. Possibly it may be better for the Navy to claim jurisdiction, reprimand her for conduct unbecoming an officer, impose a suitable punishment which will not waste her (like having to pay compensation and apologise to her intended victim), and give her a chance to rehabilitate herself.

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b freeman — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 18:32:39 GMT

We started out with monkeys in space and haven't progressed much since. I can just see the kids coming to the door this halloween in their astronaut costumes... a diaper, rope and BB gun.

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b freeman Regina Canada — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 18:41:42 GMT

I can see the defence now. "If the diaper doesn't fit, you must acquit."

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Nane, El Paso, TX — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 03:30:07 GMT

Now, who's going to throw the first stone???

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moonbuck — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 17:06:09 GMT

I don't support what she did; I just wonder why she went after the "other woman", not the two-timing guy...women are stupid that way...

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D Clark, San Diego, CA — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 10:01:16 GMT

Some people are just born sociopaths; they have no conception that their will can possibly be wrong. It makes them capable of doing these kinds of things. Sociopaths can be very intelligent people who are smart enough to move themselves into positions in any level of society and any career. I don't think a person can be driven over the edge to the point of committing murder by hunting down a romantic rival. That is the act of a sociopath. I think it calls into serious question the quality of psychological evaluation that is done by NASA. Indeed it calls everything NASA does into question.

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Ngozi, A-Tallahassee, FL — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 19:42:54 GMT

what is wrong with the judgment of the Judges that we have sitting on our legal becnches in Florida. as if the drama put up by Judge Siedling in the Ana Nicole Smith was not degrading enough for the legal system, here we are again letting an individual (with broad day-light intention to commit murder, yes murder) go scot-free. If it were a regular joe blow working a nine-to-five job at a conveninience store that committed the offence, methinks that all would have been unanimous in returning a "guilty as charged" verdict. However, becuase it is a high-flying NASA astronaut (a nut-case), she is rewarded with a lesser charge. Warning to her colleagues, please, watch out as we cannot predict her next move. Maybe the judges would come to after she actually succeeds in MURDERING her next victim. Shame!!!

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Laurie Grotnes,Battle lake, MN — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 18:56:35 GMT

What responsibility does the Boy Toy 'LeRoy Jetson' have in all of this? Ever heard of boundries at work? Both of them should never fly again: there's plenty of good healthy astronaut specimens to choose from just waiting to be given the chance.

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skye, chico, ca — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 17:24:18 GMT

So...what is this hero stuff the 'other' woman is talking about in her steamy letter to the guy in the triangle? Do the astronauts these days actually believe they are heroes? Because they go into space? HUH? I think there is something seriously wrong with the 'other' woman, not with Novak, who at least is acting with her humanity, whether it is primal or primitive. The 'other' woman has some serious psych problems...and so does the guy in the love triangle. The only heroes we have in the astronaut program were those in the beginning when not a one of us knew what would happen. They went out there into the unknown. The people who are in the astronaut program today are just techies. They do not go out into the unknown. You don't become a hero just because you pass a few tests in school...and you have a dangerous job...there are lots of people who fit this category and we don't consider them heroes! Let's see...hmmm...oh yeah, a microbiologist, a sanitation engineer, a state transportation person who holds up an orange cone to direct traffic when there is road work...

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Tim, Tallahassee, FL — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:05:42 GMT

DUH!!!! Like they were going to do anything else! We need more REAL news spread across the front page - something like Anna Nicole Smith!!!

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bigun6605, montgomery, al — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:32:43 GMT

Just heard NASA fired her, so now she is Navy property again. (Not to be a chauvanist since their affair started in 2004, the guy needs to be fired as well). What at lot of people seem to be missing with this poor little thing is that the "lady" is a Naval Captain(for you civilians that is a rank and can also be a position as the head of a vessel). This astronaut is not an ensign or lt-jg (01/2)who we could all feel sorry for, but an 0-6, a full colonel, a full bull by any other name. Though some 0-6 have gone off the bend, this one is special. As some wise man said "If I was in your shoes, I would not be in your shoes". Just bitter because she has better eyes than I do. If you have 20/20 vision and/or look great a person has to work real hard to screw up! This Captain just did.

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Issac O — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:46:19 GMT

"The Wrong Stuff" - What a stupid spin on "The Right Stuff". One Astronaut, out of the hundreds that have and are serving our space program has a personal problem, and the tabloid press has to sensationalize it. The person who wrote the article will never understand, or have "The Right Stuff".

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kyle, nyc — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:51:46 GMT

Yawn. Give me Rosie anything.

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Anita Bruski, Fargo, ND — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 21:17:17 GMT

Another example of human behavior which has for thousands of years through evolution being hard wired for reproduction(no pun intended). Unfortunately, sometimes though the natural urges are difficult to suppress and can manifest itself in a pathological manner.

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Dan Davis, Rockton, IL — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 21:31:53 GMT

A very interesting development indeed and a scar on the character of military officers every where, but there seems to be a missed issue here....what about Oefelein?? Remember, both Nowak and Oefelein are Naval Officers and subject to UCMJ. The last time I checked, there is a section pertaining to conduct unbecoming of an officer....so, since Nowak is married to someone other than Oefelein...doesn't this make it an adultry issue?? I do beleive UCMJ does have references concerning such relationships. There have been, in my military career, field grade and general grade officers being relieved from duty for such scandals.....hmmmmmm......is Oefelein getting off for his own misconduct?? An affair going on since 2004 and knowing Nowak was married??? Doesn't sound like conduct becoming an officer to me......maybe that should be evaluated as well.....

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Astrochronic — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 21:34:52 GMT

Nobody and I mean NOBODY is at fault for Nowacky's behavior other than her. Period. We can point the finger and pass the blame or give the finger and blame everybody but its all nonsense. She was not fit to represent the U.S. in such a prestigeous position. Finally that fact caught up to her and her behavior exposed her. She and only she is to blame. Anybody who suggests that "super star status" within NASA was to blame or that somehow she was maniuplated by a man(which if true just bolsters my point)or suggests any other scapegoat, is just trying to validate thier own inequity and marginalise the significance of accountability, dignity and discipline. End of story.

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Erik Johnson — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 22:28:43 GMT

Despite the "seedy" tabloid factor of the story, the real tragedy is the all too common factor of the statistics of the situation: divorce, and children faced with the prospect of growing up without a mother or father in the house. Or, maybe I'm old fashioned and think that marriage is a lifetime commitment. A busy career (physician, lawyer, astronaut) should not preclude one's responsibility to family; when divorce, and the earthquake it leaves behind, has become an issue of convenience and not integrity.

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Gerald Mickelwhite — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 01:36:05 GMT

Lock up this predatory feline monster in a military prison, award all her assets to the woman she victimized, and turn her children over to either her husband or a government-administered child protection agency. End of story.

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Jarhead, Chicago, IL — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 02:55:56 GMT

When men screw up, we "hang"; when women screw up, they "walk". Par for the course. The double standard is a direct result of the withdrawl of standards, and of lowering the bar. This is one Naval Captian who isn't fit to command belly lint, but will she be in a cage in Portsmouth? Doubtful... Semper Fi

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Jarhead, Chicago, IL — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 03:03:18 GMT

Addendum.

Navy Captain: brig; adultery, conduct unbecoming, additional charges pending civilian outcome.

Navy Commander: brig; adultery, conduct unbecoming, fraternization w/ junior (company grade) officer.

Air Force Captain: stockade; adultery, conduct unbecoming, fraternization w/ senior (field grade) officer

Semper Fi

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Bigun6605, Montgomery, Al — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 19:40:30 GMT

Jarhead

I pretty well agree with you about the punishments. The only one I have a question about is the AF Captain, since she was single and the Navy guy was divorced. We will let an Article 39 investigation sort it out. (I had to participate in a single-officer investigation (not a 39),while in the service and it is NO FUN).

And I still repeat, too many people on this site, think this shy little "lady" is to be an article of pity. Oscar-6's, Full Bulls do not need, nor require, nor dispense pity. Why is she different? How about this: Fired from NASA(check); probation in Florida; Board action in lieu of courtmartial (to include loss of rank-one stripe, General or BCD discharge, and mandatory retirement. That should do it. It would help her 5-year old twins to have a full-time MOM. Am I being too kind??

Bigun

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diadalnok, B'klyn NY — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 14:36:44 GMT

Practically all of those oxigen snatchers outta be fired worldwide, and spaceexploration should be declared a fatal addiction of some, not valuable to betterment of science and economy,and life in general.

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vietnamvet69, Mesa, AZ — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 22:01:20 GMT

I see where she now got a new job in TX with the Navy. I guess that the Navy doesn't care that her conduct was unbecoming of an officer in the military, so she wasn't asked to resign. I personally feel that she should have been asked to tender her resignation after NASA canned her.

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Margaret Heekin, Parlin New Jersey — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 22:09:03 GMT

This whole thing is a tragedy. It is very unfair to label Dr. Nowak "a nutcase". These situations don't pop out of a can. This was "brewing" for a long time so my question is DID NOBODY NOTICE? Funny when somebody is risking their life going into space( and for those who believe space travel is routine hear me when I say it is just as dangerous as when Dr. Glenn now Senator Glenn went for the first time, Nobody gives a never you mind. As soon as they have a problem, it becomes every idiots business. NASA, instead of supporting and protecting its very valuable asset did what most people do and that is "get rid of their problem" by firing her. The events of that day speak to only a small part of the picture. NASA needs to revamp its psychiartic support for the people who risk so much and have to be extremely accomplished before even applying to the astronaut program. NASA has been "broken" for a long time. This is just the culmination of years of flawed, inadequate and sloppy procedures. I wish Dr. Nowak and all her collegues good health and the most heartfelt gratitude for all they have done. You remain in my prayers.

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Geoff Lakeman — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 01:44:52 GMT

If this were a low ranking enlisted person they would be in the brig, barracks detention, or out painting rocks awaiting courts martial. Career over. I guess conduct becoming of an officer has taken on quite the new meaning over the years, nice.

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Dono — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 17:26:15 GMT

wow, i was once pushed way over the edge about someone. i couldn't shake it for months, i had to move about 6 states away. glad to say it is finally behind me. the mind can be dangerous if you dont have a place to vent. maybe she was trapped in this area and just needed a friend for a reality check.

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Ernest Nelson, Marlton, New Jersey — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 18:01:54 GMT

I'm not going to jump on this let's bash Lisa Nowak bandwagon. She has made a huge mistake in judgement and will pay for it. It is very likely that she will receive a reduction in rank, forfeiture of pay, a less then honorable discharge, and loss of pension. On top of that she may lose custody of her children, and it is very unlikely she will ever be able to use her education in a teaching capacity. As a retired enlisted Marine military personnel have a standard to maintain but no one who walks this earth is perfect. Christ said "he who is without sin cast the first stone". I will keep Lisa in my prayers and hope and pray she will get her life back together.

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PS1SdubADub — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 19:04:48 GMT

They will probably force retire her since she is a Captain and no one "got hurt". CDR was probably stringing along the CAPT on the side and when she found out there was "another woman", she went crazy. The CDR and his girlfriend have pretty much ended their careers, they might as well be putting flight plans together with her. Just goes to show just because the government gives you a commission in the military doesn't mean you have to act like an officer or a gentleman (or a lady, in the CAPT's case)

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Boyd in Tecumseh, MI. — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 03:36:46 GMT

What Captain Novak did put the Navy in a bad light and her actions were unbecoming of a officer a poor example and prejudicial to good order and discipline. How can she even be trusted in her new job? The Navy needs to take another look at this and order a hear- ing regarding her conduct....

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mike b — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 18:25:39 GMT

stick to your guns capt. The only thing she did wrong was get caught. semper fi

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Jane — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:00:11 GMT

Woman is a criminal ... point blank. Broke the law with intention to do bodily harm or worse. Period.

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Steve, Reading PA — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:07:12 GMT

I look at it this way, these people spend too much time in space. Enough time to make anyone go crazy. I don't think anyone would be happy coming back to Earth and finding their lover with someone else. I say slap her on the hand and tell her not to do it again.

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ant Durban South Africa — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:04:53 GMT

***Bill Clinton convinced me that I don't want my kids to grow up to be President. Now Nowak has made growing up to be an astronaut as repugnant.***

Mario [...] A little effort (other than repetitive stress injury) will find a similar argument for every profession on the planet (and as in this case even some off it.)

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Col. Jim Hunt ret. — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 20:39:37 GMT

If she were a man she would have already been fired from NASA and forced out by the military or in Leavenworth. Criminal activity should be criminal activity whether you are male or female. Boot her out, put her in jail asap.

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Stephen Arce — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 03:39:44 GMT

Yes, I would like to comment on all these emails and the trend it seems to be offering in this technological world we find ourselves ascending to. Do we need to ask opinions everytime something takes place that seems out of the norm? We all live in a tube-it's called entertainment. And we've sacrificed a lot of individual lives at this expense. Is it really necessary that we must conduct so much drama into someone who is either a norm who did something outrageous, or a celeb who did something outlandish? You better realize that if you think she has problems, what are you doing to her children? Like that baby of Anna Nicole? What chance have they got if you media mongers keep this up? Try to listen to the words of wisdom, and protect individual privacy. It's getting unreasonable that now real life is the drama on T.V. and people find this acceptable? Start getting yourselves to think about having some morals and a code of ethics now. Personally, I can't watch T.V. and it's damaged my relationship. Oh well. But I'm not feeling it's that important and coming across this story has made it apparent why I don't like it anymore. Don't ruin lives for entertainment purposes-have some dignity-and stop asking americans what they think. Let's just stop all this. Promote life in a positive sense and then see how far society copies that. Maybe we can gain some ground on being decent people again and not be depressed/shocked about the world we live in for a change, then we won't have people conducting themselves like this Nowak person. Maybe it might stop a lot of societal ills we see. Just a thought.

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Bigun6605, Montgomery, AL — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 19:51:07 GMT

Stephen...

Your point is well taken, BUT remember the words of the late Sonny Bono, when he tried to tell Newt Gingrich the truth about fame. He said "I've been famous, and I have not been famous, and the rules are different". I don't think Newt got the picture; still doesn't, however this harmless little creature is a Naval Captain (AKA a Full-Bull) and astronaut. When she signed up with NASA, she left a large part of her privacy behind. Just the morning the cops in Florida released additional evidence found on her computer. It makes a compelling space opera. I don't feel anything but disgust for her and most certainly not forgiveness. But as someone said if you bet on brains and glands, glands will almost always win.

Bigun6605

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Jim Ganley, Bow, NH — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 00:21:28 GMT

NASA, as has been noted from the time of the Challenger disaster, has become bloated and inefficient. Add to that political correctness and Affirmative Action and we have the setting for the curent state of affairs,no pun intended, which we've recently been made aware of. How could we have expected less? While the earlier generations of astronauts may not have been blameless, they were all gifted and competent.

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Andrew Moss, Norwalk, CA — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:00:04 GMT

What bothers me the most about this whole affair is that we are more shocked about the details than about the bigger issue. An officer of the United States came unhinged and parted with her sense of moral and legal obligations. That's awful. People have the right to be upset about that; it makes us all look bad.

But there's something wrong with our sense of outrage, isn't there? We are far too busy examining the contents of her car. We've occupied our time mocking this woman and NASA. What does that say about us? News is not news any more. We're entertained by it, and somewhere in the process of entertaining ourselves with the shame of others we've neglected the truth that taxpayers and citizens have the right to expect the best from NASA, the government, and the establishments we choose to represent our interests.

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Suzanna Jayne — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 14:21:39 GMT

Crazy comes in all packages. Students, astronauts, husbands and wives...When are we going to get it? People with mental illness need help. If you don't help them they will hurt themselves and/or someone else. It's not that difficult to understand...it's just difficult for anyone to do anything about it because we are all so worried about protecting our rights. Laws and procedures need to change. The world is a crazy place even if you are flying to the moon.

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Charles Grey, Houston, TX — Fri, 25 May 2007 15:30:38 GMT

I haven't paid much attention to all the love triangle astronaut stuff until I saw parts of a NASA/Navy IG inspection report. Then, started reading more about this. What bothers me is NASA having no accountability for government waste. Oefelein and Nowak taking joy rides in T-38 jets (not job related) for private rendezvous government expense. Oefelein's job related trips to Europe/several other destinations and taking Capt Shipman along as [...] government expense. How much money has these three people spent satisfying their "needs" at government expense. It's apparent NASA has a no holds barred when it comes to spending our money on their spoiled astronauts. If all this wasteful spending (on three people) is public information now wonder how much government waste is not public information? Bet NASA has wasted billions, it's high time this bureaucracy is turned over to private industry, where accountability is mandatory to compete in space.

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Wannabuyaduck, from a rainy place in the northwest. — Sat, 26 May 2007 05:03:49 GMT

Can you imagine the papermill on a case like this? NASA, the U.S. Navy, state and federal laws, a municipal airport - there will be an enormous generation of reports while everyone gets ready for trial. This fall we'll probably see both sides carting brown file boxes everywhere while television cameras roll. Maybe each attorney should be assigned his own Ryder rent-a-truck. Using a dolly (like the UPS drivers), he or she will personally transfer the load twice each day, for weeks and weeks. Anybody assigned this case who's out of shape won't be for long.

Although interesting, the story doesn't impress me as much as the paperwork probably would, and I'd love to read the originals. The police report citing which laws were broken by this person is what is true.

Descriptions of the actions caught on those security films will need to be transcribed and authenticated; numerous airport staff will likely be deposed as witnesses; digital images found on the disks recovered from the suspect's vehicle are being investigated. Were these crimes committed across state lines?

All of the evidence will eventually be revealed in front of a jury sworn to be the trier of fact.

If the suspect is found to be guilty the public will come a'calling for what is due, and this is what we expect when military, government, or civil law is broken. Matters of the conscience are another issue, and I pity anybody involved, especially the innocents. It is a tragedy when a child's home is broken.

Of course, the beauty here is: opinions are like -------s: everybody has one. Anyone posting here who does not know all the facts, including myself, is just killing time.

M. Compton

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C SHANKLIN Leesburg VA — Sat, 26 May 2007 15:51:17 GMT

They are both Military Officers, the UCMJ views adultery as a court martial offense. How come they are both still in uniform?

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Tony Baron — Sat, 26 May 2007 16:18:51 GMT

Brave World leading America

So now we also know that astronauts are free of all morality - no religious ties, no family obligations - what a mess. So why should the ordinary American also be so liberated and immoral - since everyone else is doing it. Nice example to less intelligent folks labouring under the financial stresses of an economy which only bows to those that are hugely successful even through treading over others rights and unchaining themselves from other moral issue

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Tired old sailor — Sun, 27 May 2007 01:31:30 GMT

She is a CAPTAIN in the US Navy!!! She knows better and I have seen captains relieve of command for less. I can't believe she is still in the Navy and has a job developing curriculum! Had it been an enlisted person, they would have been given a psych eval and probably kicked out for bringing "discredit upon the Naval Service"!!! What a croc! Thank God I'm retiring soon!!! Just another example of "Navy Leadership". No wonder the Navy has the problems they do!!! (Oh, you thought all the problems were over at Tailhook? ha ha ha ha)

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Rena, Louisville,Ky — Sun, 27 May 2007 15:32:17 GMT

Tony Baron...I agree. This nation has long forgotten the principles on which it was established. forgotten are the men and women that have given their lives that we and future generations might have the good life; forgotten the moral code that all decent human beings live by; forgotten the obligation to honor our vows; forgotten the responsibility to our children; forgotten the example we set for those children by the way we live. Today it is all about who has it all...never mind how they got it or how many lives they destroyed getting to the top of the heap. How sad that we cannot get as vocal and engaged in the discussion if the subject was starving children, elderly and low income Americans dying homless and without medical care, our young men and women dying daily in Iraq and hundreds of other worthwhile subjects. Have you noticed how many times in this discussion they are spouting all the "excuses" for Ms. Nowak's actions? It is not a complex matter folks, In our world today, if....you want something and you want it now...don't worry about it belonging to someone else..don't worry about adultery..don't worry about stealing...don't worry about the helpless children's lives...don't worry about breaking the laws of God and man..just go take it!! As we see here....you can always claim to be SICK. What we all need is to pray for our soldiers and treat others as we want to be treated. Look for good and ignore the filth.

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GERALD BOWEN — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 14:41:38 GMT

She has schizphrenia....She shoud not be charged because of diminished mental capacity!
Treat the ilness and free her from the lust that was provoked by ROMEO (MALE ASTRONUT CREATED THE PROBLEM)

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landon kelsey — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:28:56 GMT

people never change....

people always search for something to make themselves feel good about themselves! Misery likes company!

Jesus spoke of the splinter in your neighbor's eye!
See Romans Chapter 2!

How many of you have gone a little out of control in a romantic situation?

NASA is a bunch of CYA bureaucrats! You have to have worked for the gov to understand how your money is wasted! It is disgusting! NASA is a money pit!

It is a disgrace to be an astronaut anyway!

Watch the movie "The Right Stuff". A bunch of BS in biology bureaucrats stacking up the hurdles for the "astronauts".

Bureaucracyhas a core intrinsic error. It depends on appearances. You could fire 70% of NASA and it would have no effect except improvement and reduced hot air!

Get off Nowak and look at YOUR sins!

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landon kelsey, Houston, Texas — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:19:01 GMT

look what Bill Clinton got away with!

punish Nowak? Punish the horses axxes politicians who constitute the largest organized crime org in the history of the universe! Whatever happened to Chandra Levy's killer?

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landon kelsey, Houston, Texas — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:37:49 GMT

about 1 month ago, there was a MSNBC poll asking "do you prefer the company of animals or people?"

Animals won 80+%

I've heard having a pet reduces blood pressure by around 15 points! Why? People are competitive little basderts!

Hardly anybody going to my high school reunions and they wonder why!

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Tommy, Cedar Rapids, IA — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 18:43:41 GMT

First it should be noted that all astronauts deserve tremendous respect as professionals for what they do and have done since the early sixties.
There was a lot of indiscretion with the early astronaut corps. But there's a lot of indiscretion in just about every walk of life. Perhaps it's time we stopped holding people to unhuman standards, or better yet, time we stopped feeling like we have to know every little flaw in anybody whose name we've heard in the media.
The idea of comparing modern-day astronauts to our original Mercury and Gemini badboys is ridiculous anyway. First, the original guys were training to do a lot of stuff that was downright crazy, like being blasted into space sitting on top of ICBMs. They were a special breed and at times a bit loonie in their off-hours. So what. They weren't forced to live in a phoney 'family-values' environment, one that exists today primarily so that certain people can attempt to control or repress the social and sexual expression of others. And there was a general understanding in those days, in political as well as celebrity situations, that not everything about an individual needed to be made public.

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Anne Sheppard, Houston, TX — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 14:27:05 GMT

Lisa Nowak is clearly an exceptionally bright, well educated individual who worked hard to gain the status she had in both the Navy and at NASA. I think this incident points up the fact the mental illness, temporary insanity,(call it what you may) knows no boundaries of race or class and can strike any of us at any time, if given the right combination of circumstances. Don't be so quick to judge.