Space Girls Get Astro-Naughty
By Faith Smith
It is said love can be a feeling 'out of this world'. But for one American astronaut her strong feelings towards a colleague weren't only out of this world but completely beyond her station!
Lisa Nowak, a flight engineer who flew on the space shuttle Discovery in July 2006, disguised herself in a dark wig, glasses and trench coat and attempted to kidnap a woman she considered a rival for a fellow astronaut's affections.
Nowak was so determined to corner Colleen Shipman, a captain in the U.S Air Force, that she wore adult nappies on the 950-mile drive from Huston to Orlando so she didn't have to stop to urinate.
Armed with pepper spray, a steel mallet and a BB gun, Nowak then attempted to kidnap Shipman but failed as her victim managed to escape in a car.
Nowak insists she "only wanted to scare Ms Shipman into talking with her", but a further search found Nowak was also carrying black gloves, a folding knife with a 10-centimetre blade, rubber tubing and rubbish bags.
Nowak faced charges including battery and attempted kidnapping when arrested on Monday, before police filed the more serious charge of attempted first-degree murder, halting her release.
In a taped statement given to police, Nowak described her connection to the astronaut in question, Bill Oefelein, as "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship". They also discovered a letter describing how much Nowak loved Oefelein in her possession as she drove to kidnap Shipman.
It goes to show that love is a powerful feeling: it can drive people to do crazy things. Just usually not this crazy!
Discuss stuff like this in our Facebook group.
Lisa Nowak, a flight engineer who flew on the space shuttle Discovery in July 2006, disguised herself in a dark wig, glasses and trench coat and attempted to kidnap a woman she considered a rival for a fellow astronaut's affections.
Nowak was so determined to corner Colleen Shipman, a captain in the U.S Air Force, that she wore adult nappies on the 950-mile drive from Huston to Orlando so she didn't have to stop to urinate.
Armed with pepper spray, a steel mallet and a BB gun, Nowak then attempted to kidnap Shipman but failed as her victim managed to escape in a car.
Nowak insists she "only wanted to scare Ms Shipman into talking with her", but a further search found Nowak was also carrying black gloves, a folding knife with a 10-centimetre blade, rubber tubing and rubbish bags.
Nowak faced charges including battery and attempted kidnapping when arrested on Monday, before police filed the more serious charge of attempted first-degree murder, halting her release.
In a taped statement given to police, Nowak described her connection to the astronaut in question, Bill Oefelein, as "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship". They also discovered a letter describing how much Nowak loved Oefelein in her possession as she drove to kidnap Shipman.
It goes to show that love is a powerful feeling: it can drive people to do crazy things. Just usually not this crazy!
Discuss stuff like this in our Facebook group.
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