A peek a boo into Nowak’s tumultuous life

Love is a strange thing and sometimes it lands people in a mare’s nest. Take the recent case of Navy Captain Lisa Nowak, who was charged for attempted murder. The tragedy not only brought tears to Nowak and her family members, but it also struck hard at the appreciated image of astronauts as ‘superior’ individuals who can muddle through stresses that might tumble the rest of us.

Since the case has ultimately resolved now, the lesson it brought with it is that astronauts are normal human beings and acute mental stress can break them down too.

Lisa Nowak, born on May 10, 1963, became interested in space when she was a mere child of five. Hard work etched her way to success and she became an astronaut for NASA in 1996 and also qualified as a mission specialist in robotics.

Nowak, the first Italian American women, went into space on July 4, 2006, on the STS-121 mission, which included a trip to the International Space Station.

Inspite of being married with Richard T. Nowak, Lisa fancied fellow astronaut William Oefelein and had a soft corner for him. Love surely makes people do bizarre acts, and so was the case with Lisa.

She allegedly held the Colleen Shipman had an affair with Oefelein, and that was the main reason for her to attack Shipman.

On February 5, 2006, Nowak was arrested at Orlando International Airport on charges of attempted kidnapping, battery, attempted vehicle burglary with battery, and destruction of evidence.

Astronaut Bill Oefelein took leave from NASA after the incident and went to join girlfriend Colleen Shipman in Florida.

The event has been highly publicized in media and has dominated newspapers, sites, programmes and conversations.

It has put NASA under a state of shock, which has been renown for its mentally fit astronauts. Space agency spokesman James Hartsfield said, “in spite of the extensive psychological testing astronauts go through, we don't track the personal lives of the individuals that work for the agency."

Former NASA psychiatrist Dr. Patricia Santy commented, "I really believe that NASA goes overboard in promoting how heroic and super all these people are. They themselves have forgotten these are ordinary people and in that kind of celebrity culture, there's a sense of entitlement." Space policy and history writer Howard McCurdy of American University said, "The astronaut culture is still a carry over from 'The Right Stuff' days. It is very high intensity; it is very competitive."

There is a lot of psychological and psychiatric screening before the admission, but during the term of service, there are no formal psychological evaluations.

Although, the act of driving 900 miles to deal with a woman deemed as a rival for the affections of another astronaut seems gonzo, there is yet no evidence that proves Nowak was undergoing psychological problems.

Not only did Nowak’s act dominated in the media, it will soon be seen ruling the Big screen as well. I am sure some of you must have sensed that this was coming, and it won’t be a big shock to know that “the strange saga of Lisa’ will be turned into a movie.

Granada America, the U.S.-based production entity of ITV and one of Europe's largest broadcasters and producers has optioned the film rights to a New York Times article on Lisa Nowak.