Astronaut Out On Bail

(CBS/AP)  A NASA astronaut accused of trying to kidnap a romantic rival for a space shuttle pilot's affections was charged with attempted first-degree murder Tuesday and jailed.

At first the astronaut was charged with attempted kidnapping and other counts. Then prosecutors upped the charge to attempted murder, basing it on the weapons and other items they said police had found with Nowak or in her car: pepper spray, a BB-gun, a new steel mallet, knife and rubber tubing.

Nowak, a 43-year-old Navy Captain and married mother of three, was released from jail on $25,500 bail and ordered to wear a monitoring device.

Her lawyer, Donald Lykkebak, took issue with the most serious charges.

"In the imaginations of the police officers, they extend these facts out into areas where the facts can't be supported," Lykkebak said.

"The intent was there to do serious bodily injury or death," said Orlando Police Sgt. Barb Jones, referring to the items found in Nowak's car.

NASA put Nowak on a 30-day leave and removed her from mission duties. Agency spokesman John Ira Petty at Johnson Space Center in Houston said he was concerned about the people involved and their families. But, he added, "We try not to concern ourselves with our employees' personal lives."

If convicted of attempted murder, she faces between 30 years and life in prison, authorities said.

"It looks like it was a fairly elaborate plan, and we believe that she was probably going to try to kidnap the victim and, you know, possibly do serious bodily harm," Sgt. Jones told Jessica D'Onofrio of CBS affiliate WKMG-TV.

Chief astronaut Steve Lindsey, who flew with Nowak to the international space station last July aboard space shuttle Discovery, and fellow astronaut Chris Ferguson attended the earlier hearing.

"Our primary concern is her health and well-being and that she get through this," Lindsey told reporters later. "Her status (with the astronaut corps) has not changed."

Ferguson said he was "perplexed" by Nowak's alleged actions.

Police said Nowak drove 900 miles, donned a disguise and was armed with a BB gun and pepper spray when she confronted a woman she believed was a competitor for the affections of Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein, an unmarried fellow astronaut.

Oefelein, 41, piloted the space shuttle Discovery in December. He and Nowak trained together but never flew a mission together.

Nowak told police that her relationship with Oefelein was "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship," according to an arrest affidavit.

Inside Nowak's vehicle, which was parked at a nearby motel, authorities found a pepper spray package, an unused BB-gun cartridge, latex gloves and e-mails between Oefelein and Colleen Shipman.

They also found a letter "that indicated how much Mrs. Nowak loved Mr. Oefelein" and Shipman's home address, the arrest affidavit said.

Police said Nowak told them that she only wanted to scare Shipman into talking to her about her relationship and didn't want to harm her.

"If you were just going to talk to someone, I don't know that you would need a wig, a trench coat, an air cartridge BB gun and pepper spray," Jones said. "It's just really a very sad case."

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[injunear1]

I have some questions to pose to all of us following this unfortunate incident. What happened to Mrs. Nowak? As a commissioned officer in our countries armed forces she has disgraced the authority, trust, and responsibility placed on her by the president of the United States and our country. That being said, what is a married woman officer doing going after another man? What kind of people are those who evaluate her as an officer? She may have been a good astronaut, but she is a disgraceful and sad example of an officer. Mrs. Nowak apparently has had a deep inside problem for months. She looks absolutely grotesque. A reflection of the ugliness in her heart? Why hasn't NASA or the Navy paid attention to her? She didn't get her "new look" overnight. It's a shame that she has wrecked her career for such a foolish quest.What was she thinking? No one knows all the facts behind this unfortunate event, but it's obvious that she is not the same person that did the mission last summer. She may have a place in NASA, but she definitely doesn't belong in the Navy as an officer. God help you Mrs. Nowak!

[anopinion1]

i dont care how in love you think you are.
their are roadside stops that take maybe 5-10 mins to stop and use the bathroom.
this is just plain dirty.

dont even try to defend this act of insanity.

[anopinion1]

bluestardad
Why do people insist talking about war on every one of these chat things.
if you wanna talk about those things talk about it under the apropiate article.

This is a hilarious article about some nut in diapers it dosent get much better then that.

[bluestardad]

Guys there is more important things than some sick woman in a diaper to think about.
Remember Bush Gave Bremer a medal!

L. Paul Bremer III, who was head of the Coalition Provisional Authority,was given 363 tons of cash that was loaded onto airplanes and sent into the war zone in 2003, adding that U.S. officials had "no way of knowing whether the cash would wind up in enemy hands." Can you believe this? Tons of money stacked on wooden platforms! Still they don't know where billions of dollars went?

Bush gave this idiot a medal! I know it is not as sensational as some love triangle with a married woman wearing a diaper chasing some rival woman who may be just as crazy over a man with a huge shwantz but people are dying at three a day in Iraq and still our Congress does nothing. This article is a welcome distraction to Congress and the Bush Administration. Please understand this.

[rray52]

I do not like this story.
It makes me uncomfortable to watch someone self-destruct publicly.
Hopefully this story will have a short news cycle. (fat chance)

[love_you-2009]

kick her *** azz.

Justice for everyone !

If she kidnaped she should be punished no matter what her social position.

[lieberman18]

Still want Hillary, folks?

Still think she's the best???

Better think again. If you can vote for her, you can vote for Lisa too.

[smedley5000]

I love this! Day after day, year after year the media portrays men as idiots in commercials and television shows. But now we know why women don't get the same treatment . . . it's not necessary, they do a superb job making fools of themselves in real life. So much for the strong female pioneer in science type . . . diapers anyone? I absolutely love this entire saga!

[txgs33]

processor2

it's no use! looks like i ran that incest-hillbilly out of this forum. he's mad because i let the truth out about him: a reject not even good enough to make tha ranks of some real idiots like tha KKK or even tha skin-heads. and secretly he wishes he was black like me.

[processor2]

any comment....."Posted by humancitizen at"

Whoever you are,,,,,,you need serious help,,,,NOW

......