From Space to Jail: NASA's Craziest Story | Tales From the Bottle

Qxir
Qxir
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Published 2024-02-09
To become an astronaut you need to be at the top of your game - physically and mentally, but not everyone at the top stays at the top.


"Lisa Marie Nowak (née Caputo; born May 10, 1963) is an American aeronautical engineer and former NASA astronaut and United States Navy officer. Nowak served as naval flight officer and test pilot in the Navy, and was selected by NASA for NASA Astronaut Group 16 in 1996, qualifying as a mission specialist in robotics. She flew in space aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-121 mission in July 2006, when she was responsible for operating the robotic arms of the shuttle and the International Space Station. In 2007, Nowak was involved in a highly publicized incident of criminal misconduct for which she eventually pled guilty to felony burglary and misdemeanor battery charges, resulting in her demotion from captain to commander, and termination by NASA and the Navy.
Born in Washington, D.C., Nowak graduated from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1985. She was assigned to VAQ-34 at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California, where she flew the EA-7L Corsair and ERA-3B Skywarrior. She earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. In 1993 she was selected to attend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. After graduation, she remained at Patuxent River, flying in the F/A-18 Hornet and EA-6B Prowler. During her Navy career she logged over 1,500 hours in more than 30 aircraft and was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal.
In February 2007, Nowak was arrested in Orlando, Florida, after she accosted and pepper-sprayed Colleen Shipman, a U.S. Air Force captain romantically involved with astronaut William Oefelein, who had been in a relationship with Nowak. She was released on bail and initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, which included attempted kidnapping, burglary with assault, and battery. Subsequently, her assignment as an astronaut was terminated by NASA. In 2009, Nowak agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to charges of felony burglary of a car and misdemeanor battery. She remained a Navy captain until the following year when a Naval Board of Inquiry voted unanimously to reduce her in rank to commander and to discharge her from the Navy under other than honorable conditions after 25 years of service. As of 2017, it was reported that she was working in the private sector in Texas."

More on Wikipedia:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Nowak

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All Comments (21)
  • @Pangloss6413
    Lisa Nowak sounds like the sort of person every nerd wants as a friend in high school but then later on is thankful they stayed away from
  • @jritechnology
    Qxir went to space and found out they had no whiskey or pubs and came back to eart straight away.
  • @Biskwyy
    She's so dedicated. Truly a woman with the utmost work ethics.
  • @8BitSamurai
    It's like... you started this relationship as an extramarital affair for the both of you, and you expect him to not run off when he sees the next big thing. lol
  • @SuperAsdke
    9:45 Irish man puts American steering wheel on wrong side of car
  • @useazebra
    I'm so glad you're here to educate me about things like NASA's first psychonaut.
  • @user-tk5fi1my5i
    I don't think that NASA can "beef up it's screening process" anymore than it already is. It's probably one of the most intense screening processess there is. There's always going to be a person here or there that ends up having problems down the line. They could have a mental illness show up that they've never had before, and definitely didn't have during the screening process. Or certain stresses that build up and cause a mental breakdown. Plus a lot of "normal" people end up having strange abnormal reactions when it comes to love, or what they think is love. They could fight in a war, have no serious issues at all, but then have someone break up with them and they go of the deep end.
  • @hunterking6033
    Imagine attempting to murder someone you were stalking and getting only a year of probation. Life on easy mode.
  • @Kindaire
    The contents of Oefelein and Shipman's emails being public knowledge is hilarious
  • @stephenm3667
    Had to keep up that rage for 900 miles. Damn, I’m usually simmering down by the time I get out of the house. That’s commitment
  • @cloudkitt
    3:22 this segment was excellent. "What crime could be cooler than operating a robot arm on a spaceship?!" 😂
  • @dcterr1
    Wow, what a crazy story, especially for someone with such an amazingly successful career beforehand! I guess this just goes to show that pretty much anyone can go berserk under the right circumstances!
  • @dfmrcv862
    "I think she took it well." Narrator: "She did not in fact take it well."
  • @NorthwestStringing
    6:30 How sticky is bird shit to still be stuck on a literal rocket traveling at hypersonic speeds.
  • @bloggerccc
    The Navy retained her on active duty as a "stash" at Naval Air Station, Corpus Chisti TX until her civil trial and court martial were completed. She fully retired from the Navy in 2011, after the Navy finally decided how to handle her case. She had already reached the military's statutory retirement eligibility (20 years) but the issue of her retirement type was kicked around for a while.
  • @HoLeeFoc
    This drama reminded me of what, in the 1981 movie Excaliur, Merlin alarmingly told a young king Arthur when he expressed to him that he wanted Guinevere as his queen: "Now look, I once stood exposed to the Dragon's Breath so that a man could lie one night with a woman. It took me nine moons to recover. And all for this lunacy called, "love", this mad distemper that strikes down both beggar and king. Never again. Never."
  • @bw7754
    Cheating on your husband while he’s overseas fighting in the military, classy. Super classy.
  • @seancarter6492
    5:51 - I was like "dude, what the hell is that circle in the center of- oh it's a ring" 🤣 I absolutely love the detail lol