NASA astronaut tried to abduct love rival, arrested

Orlando police on Monday arrested NASA astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak, accusing her of attempting to attack and kidnap a woman she considered a rival for the affections of a space shuttle pilot, Bill Oefelein.

Police charged Nowak, 43, with attempted kidnapping, attempted vehicle burglary with battery, destruction of evidence and battery. The U.S. Navy Captain is being held in an Orange County, Florida jail without bond.

According to Orange County’s arrest affidavit, Nowak disguised herself in a wig and trench coat for a showdown with her rival, Colleen Shipman, at the Orlando International Airport. Nowak confessed that she drove over 1,400 kilometer and donned a disguise to subdue a romantic rival and abduct her, police said.

Nowak, the NASA astronaut who flew to the International Space Station aboard the shuttle Discovery last July, told police she drove 12 hours wearing nappies so she would not need to stop, from Houston to the Orlando International Airport to confront Shipman, who is a captain at Patrick Air Force base near the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

In the affidavit Nowak admitted that her relationship with Oefelein, a shuttle pilot who flew on Discovery's December mission to the space station, was "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship." After knowing that Oefelein had become involved with Shipman she decided to talk to her. Nowak planned to confront Shipman when she found out that she was flying to Orlando from Houston.

The police recovered a BB gun, pepper spray, a brand new folding knife with four-inch blade, rubber tubing, gloves and trash bags that Nowak planned to use for the confrontation.

Nowak, a married flight engineer with three children, said she didn't plan to harm her rival, but only wanted to scare Shipman into talking to her about the relationship, the affidavit stated.

Shipman told police she noticed someone following her so she hurriedly jumped into her car and locked the door. But Nowak wearing her disguise, glasses and a hood pulled down over her head, banged on the window and asked to use Shipman's cell phone and a ride, according to the affidavit. When Shipman rolled down the car window a few inches to respond, Nowak squirted her with pepper spray, but Shipman managed to drive to a toll booth for help.

Following Shipment’s complaint, the police spotted Nowak at a nearby bus stop tossing the wig and BB gun in a trash can.

Police also searched Nowak's car and found a pepper spray package, an unused BB-gun cartridge, latex gloves and e-mails between Shipman and Oefelein. Inside the vehicle, which was parked at a nearby motel, authorities also found a letter in which Nowak described her love for Oefelein as well as MapQuest directions from Houston to Orlando and receipts from the trip.