Astronaut Arrest Info

[TromboneAl]

In reading and watching the news items about the arrest of Lisa Nowak, there's a detail that I haven't seen reported. Maybe I missed it.

According to reports "she drove to Florida bringing with her a trenchcoat and wig, armed with a BB gun and pepper spray" and confronted this other woman. She's charged with attempted kidnapping and attempted murder.

But what I haven't seen reported is what actually happened. Did the other woman escape and contact police? Did someone see the confrontation and call police?

Anyone know?

[Andre1969]

I was really fuzzy on the details too, but searching around, found this blurb: http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/02/06/D8N4BF1G0.html

I work for NASA, and I order supplies for our project. At least now I get the joke behind people coming to me and asking me to order a gross of diapers! :

[cute fuzzy bunny]

She confronted the woman in a parking lot, sprayed her through the open driver window with pepper spray, and the other woman close the window and took off.

She had a knife, a bb gun, some rubber tubing, pepper spray and some other stuff in a bag. She disguised herself, paid cash for the entire trip and wore the diaper (which all astronauts do on launch and landing when they cant use the potty chair) so she didnt have to stop as much.

She was totally going to pepper spray her, tie her up with the tubing, then take her somewhere and kill her with one or more of the remaining items.

Lady's lucky to be alive.

Hell hath NO fury like a woman scorned.

[Martha]

That's what happens when you pamper astronauts.

[TromboneAl]

I'm glad I'm not the cop who had to pat her down.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha That's what happens when you pamper astronauts.

Well, it depends.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martha That's what happens when you pamper astronauts.

[W2R]

She could have used the rubber tubing as a garrott, too. Ugh!!!

And the question is, why would anyone with her opportunities and experiences throw it all away like that? That is so inconceivable to most of us working mortals who may agree that glory, fame, wealth, and a place in history are harder to find than another fish in the sea. She must have had a severe psychotic break, unless there are other facts to be heard later at the trial.

[USK Coastie]

So much for the military/NASA human reliability programs. Makes you wonder if the guys in the silos or aboard the subs are as reliable as we'bve been told.
I'm sure Nords could give some insite as a weps officer on a NUC boat.

[Brat]

Sometimes I wonder if fast-track performers miss a couple maturation steps. I have seen this in a physician.

The other strong possibility is that she has had a nervous breakdown. Her behavior was hyper-reactive IMHO. Emotional, not analytical.

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brat Sometimes I wonder if fast-track performers miss a couple maturation steps. I have seen this in a physician.

Cool Dude! Totally rad. Like fast-track is awesome, man. Totally mature.

[Non sequitur]

I was nowhere near that airport and I deny ever having met either of those women.

[Nords]

Bummer. Lisa Nowak's a Navy captain, USNA '85, and a plebe when I was a firstie. I remember reading about her over the years, although not like this, and I suspect her special FITREP and her retirement request are both being drafted as fast as her psych eval. Not that we'll be seeing her picture in the alumni magazine for a while. And I imagine this isn't much fun for her estranged spouse or her teenage son.

Of course the dark humor is that she must be mentally deranged because she didn't succesfully complete her mission.

So, here's a quiz for all you veteran command duty officers: UNIT SITREP or OPREP-3 NAVY BLUE?

Just for "fair & balanced" from the opposite side of the bell curve and to wipe away the bad taste in your mouth, this is Wendy Lawrence '81. Pretty much the same women from the same background at the same time... with two very different results.

Quote:

Originally Posted by USK Coastie I'm sure Nords could give some insite as a weps officer on a NUC boat.

One of my best nuclear weapons handling supervisors, a sonar tech chief petty officer nicknamed "Jonesy", told the agent doing his security investigation that he was a long-time subscriber to a photography magazine called "Chicks With..." well, you get the idea. When she expressed skepticism he brought forth a number of recent issues with his name on the subscription label. ("I'd hate for you to find out about this from someone else before you hear about it from me!") And another one of my fire control sailors, also a nuclear weapons tech, was saving all his money to leave the Navy and enroll in Scientology training. (No, he didn't even look like Tom Cruise.) I had two other guys who'd been declared physically addicted to alcohol but were also decreed "rehabilitated" after a six-week inpatient treatment. And these were just the guys on my boat, which I might modestly add won an award for having the best Weapons department on the waterfront, and we had documented proof that we could hit more targets than anyone else. Imagine how it must've been on the screwed-up boats.

Today I find it hard to believe that I used to soberly nod my head and salute when reading message traffic for nuclear security officers that declared a weapons tech who used marijuana five times before joining the Navy as an "experimenter" while the poor schlubs who smoked a sixth joint were "habitual users". I also used to be able to recite from memory where one could attend an AA meeting just about any Oahu weeknight... I just hope this sort of stuff isn't what happened to Lisa Nowak.

[Gumby]

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[Gumby]

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[Texas Proud]

Interesting question came up at lunch....

Would she not get a dishonorable discharge from the Navy and lose her pension??

And Gumby.... I live in Houston and they do reports here... but it is mostly ignored what is happening in space and especially when they are on the ground... I don't think it is as high a pressure job as a police officer or fireman...

Now, someone who disarms roadside bombs in Iraq... now that is pressure..

[Gumby]

..

[Nords]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud Would she not get a dishonorable discharge from the Navy and lose her pension??

I think she'd have a tough time defending herself against the charge of "conduct unbecoming of an officer". "Assault" might be a problem too, let alone that pesky fraternization thing.

The discharge system is a little different for officers and the BCD/DD equivalent is "dismissed". That could easily have happened if she'd been successful in what seemed to be at least a murder two attempt. But it's mostly used when the military just doesn't want to beat up on someone any more than they already have, like 1LT Watada.

A general court-martial would be able to reduce her in rank to private and then award a dishonorable discharge. But over-the-top nuclear-ballistic reactions like that take months to achieve and would probably only be applied to someone like John Walker or a serial killer. I can't even think of any names or cases in that league. Gumby?

I suspect she's going to get a really quick retirement. I can only fantasize about how rapidly it'd be processed. The military doesn't want the publicity that'd be attendant with "punishing her family" by taking away her pension benefits that everyone's worked so hard all these years to support, blah blah. But I don't think they're going to let her cash in her terminal leave, give her permissive temporary duty orders to look for housing in her retirement area, let her stay until she reaches her 22-year longevity pay raise this May, or give her preferential points for a cushy NASA civil-service job! Oh, and I think she's lost her flight pay too, effective the day she drove to Orlando.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Proud I live in Houston and they do reports here... but it is mostly ignored what is happening in space and especially when they are on the ground... I don't think it is as high a pressure job as a police officer or fireman...

Willie McCool, USNA '83. And many others.


Well, that was how my predecessor handed me his Weapons Officer job. You can ignore a lot of symptoms but that coughing-up-blood thing is hard to conceal...

I notice NASA has backed far away from this one. Navy, over to you!

[samclem]

Hmmm. I'm not an expert on Navy disciplinary procedures, but I'll bet a nickel she doesn't end up keeping her pension. Anything is possible, and if she gets a good defense lawyer, he'll definitely attempt to build a strong temporary insanity defense (it's prima facie: Can anything else explain flushing a lifetime of accomplishments down the toilet for such an ill-conceived plot?). I would guess she'll first face the charges in civilian court (battery, attempted kidnapping), and then the military system will have their shot at her.

Very sad. People aren't machines, that's for sure.

[poboy]