How did bright star at NASA end up in this mess?

ORLANDO, Fla. -- On July Fourth, Independence Day, Lisa Nowak triumphantly lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center aboard shuttle Discovery. On Tuesday, 57 miles from the launch pad, she stood before a judge and wore shackles and a blue prisoner uniform.

The married mother of three was charged Tuesday with attempted murder, accused of hatching an extraordinary plot to kidnap Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman, who she believed was her rival for the affections of space shuttle pilot William Oefelein. Nowak had been charged Monday with attempted kidnapping and other counts.

But after two appearances in court and worldwide attention, the core question remained a mystery: What could make a high achiever who flew in space apparently snap so completely seven months later?

At Frenchie's, an Italian restaurant and NASA hangout near the Johnson Space Center, owner Frankie Camera lamented the troubles of a woman he had come to know and admire.

Nowak's autographed photo, taken with the rest of her shuttle crew, hangs in the restaurant, along with dozens of other astronaut portraits.

"She is a brilliant girl. A beautiful girl, normal and nice," Camera said. "When something like that happens to your head, it's sad."

According to police, Nowak's obsession with Oefelein led her to drive 900 miles from Houston to Orlando, bringing with her a trench coat and wig, armed with a BB gun and pepper spray, and wearing a diaper to avoid bathroom breaks on the drive.

Lisa Nowak


Age: 43

Born: Lisa Marie Caputo in 1963, Washington, D.C.; Grew up in Rockville, Md.

Education: Graduated in 1985 with degree in aerospace engineering from U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Experience: Commissioned in Navy in 1985, became a naval flight officer in 1987; chosen as an astronaut in 1996. Made first trip into space aboard shuttle Discovery in July to international space station. As mission specialist was nicknamed "Robochick" for skill at manipulating shuttle's robotic arm during 13-day mission.

Personal: Mother of twin 5-year-old girls and a teenage son; recently separated from Richard Nowak, her husband of 19 years, who is a NASA flight controller.

Interests: Bicycling, running, skeet, sailing, gourmet cooking, rubber stamps, crossword puzzles, piano and African violets.

Orlando Sentinel, The Associated Press, The Miami Herald, NASA biography

Once in Florida, Nowak apparently confronted Shipman at the Orlando airport and sprayed her with pepper spray before Shipman was able to drive away.

Prosecutors based the attempted-murder charge on the weapons and other items police had found with Nowak or in her car: pepper spray, the BB-gun, a new steel mallet, a knife, rubber tubing and several large garbage bags.

Nowak, 43, 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," he said.

NASA put Nowak on a 30-day leave and removed her from mission duties.

"We're as surprised, as stunned as you can imagine," said David Mould, a NASA spokesman. "And we're concerned about the well-being of a very good astronaut."

Nowak had separated from her husband, Richard, who works in mission control for the international space station, a few weeks ago.

The details of the relationships among Nowak, Oefelein and Shipman were unclear. Nowak and Oefelein, who both live in the Houston area, had trained together as astronauts, but never flew into space together. Shipman, 30, works at Patrick Air Force Base near Kennedy Space Center.

Nowak was quoted by police as saying she and Oefelein (pronounced OH-fuh-line) had something "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship."

Shipman said Monday in a court filing seeking a restraining order that Nowak had been stalking her for two months. Shipman described Nowak as "an acquaintance of my boyfriend."

Neither Oefelein nor Shipman could be reached for comment Tuesday, nor could Nowak's husband be found.

But police found a letter in Nowak's car that "indicated how much Mrs. Nowak loved Mr. Oefelein," the arrest affidavit said. And Nowak had copies of e-mails between Shipman and Oefelein.

Nowak and her husband had recently separated after 19 years of marriage, according to a statement from her family.

"Personally, Lisa is an extremely caring and dedicated mother to her three children," the statement said. "Considering both her personal and professional life, these alleged events are completely out of character and have come as a tremendous shock to our family."

A police affidavit said Nowak had "stealthily followed the victim while in disguise and possessed multiple deadly weapons."

The affidavit said the circumstances "create a well-founded fear" and gave investigators "probable cause to believe that Mrs. Nowak intended to murder Ms. Shipman."

According to the affidavit, Nowak checked into a La Quinta Inn in Orlando under a false name, stashed her car and set off to meet Shipman's midnight flight from Houston to Orlando. The younger officer was returning to Patrick Air Force Base in Florida.

Shipman picked up her luggage, which was late, about 3 a.m. As Shipman waited for the bus to the airport satellite parking lot, the affidavit says, Nowak lingered at a nearby taxi stop, wearing the wig and a trench coat. When Shipman boarded the bus, Nowak allegedly boarded, too, then got off where Shipman did. Police say Nowak was armed with a steel mallet, a knife and a BB gun that resembled a real 9mm semiautomatic handgun. The BB gun was loaded with pellets and was set to fire, according to the affidavit.

Walking to her car, Shipman sensed a threat. She heard "running footsteps" behind her. She jumped into her car, locking the door.

But before she could pull away, the affidavit says, Nowak slapped at the window and pulled at the locked door.

"Can you help me please?" Nowak asked her, according to the affidavit. "My boyfriend was supposed to pick me up, and he is not here. I've been traveling and it's late. Can you give me a ride to the parking office?"

Shipman said she'd send someone to help. Nowak asked to use Shipman's cellphone, police say, and Shipman told her the battery was dead. According to the affidavit, Nowak said she could not hear Shipman through the window, then Nowak began to cry.

Shipman opened her window two inches. Nowak allegedly sprayed pepper spray into the opened window, aiming at Shipman's face. Shipman drove away and sought help, according to police.

Police and prosecutors say the evidence suggests Nowak might have wanted to get into Shipman's car and then kill her, possibly at Shipman's house.

Prosecutor Amanda Cowan likened the planning for the Orlando voyage to the kind of preparations astronauts make as they ready for space.

"She had a mission that she was very determined to carry out," she said.

Lykkebak, Nowak's lawyer, said Nowak only wanted to talk to Shipman. Asked about the weapons, he said, "You can sit and speculate all day."

Nowak graduated from high school in Maryland in 1981 and the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985. She has won various Navy service awards.

In a NASA interview last year, before her mission aboard Discovery, Nowak spoke about the strain her career placed on her family. She has twin 5-year-old girls and a teenage son.

"It's a sacrifice for our own personal time and our families and the people around us," she said in the NASA interview. "But I do think it's worth it because if you don't explore and take risks and go do all these things, then everything will stay the same."

NASA astronauts often have nicknames, at least among their crewmates and Mission Control. Aboard Discovery last July, Nowak and crewmate Stephanie Wilson were known as "the Robochicks" because they operated the shuttle's robotic arm that checked the spacecraft for damage.

Oefelein, 41, a Navy commander nicknamed "Billy-O" by his comrades, piloted a Discovery mission in December to the space station where astronauts rewired the outpost, installed a new $11 million section and dropped off a new U.S. crew member.

Oefelein is divorced with two children.

Compiled from The Associated Press, The Washington Post and McClatchy Newspapers