You would think that after making the grade to be an astronaut, for chrissakes, you’d be past the high school drama of “do you like him? You know, like like him?”
But apparently not.
Of course, adult astronaut high school drama calls for something a bit more advanced than spit balls and name calling.
And that’s why shuttle astronaut Lisa Nowak – make that Captain Lisa Marie Nowak – drove nearly 1000 miles, put on a disguise, and attempted to kidnap fellow (um..what is the feminine version of “fellow”?) astronaut Colleep Shipman.
The object of Nowak’s affection is Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein, with whom Nowak believed Shipman had become romantically involved.
The best part of this is that after she drove nearly 1000 miles, put on a disguise, followed Shipman (while carrying with her a steel mallet, a BB gun, a folding knife, pepper spray, gloves, rubber tubing and trashbags), attempted to kidnap Shipman, and got arrested for her trouble, Nowak – a married mother of three – described her own relationship with William Oefelein as “more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship.”
BWahahahahaahahah! So Shipman was a rival exactly for…what??
“Do you like him? I mean really like like him?”
But I have to say that the most interesting tidbit I gleaned while reading about this sad, sad state of affairs (or, rather, non affairs) was this:
“Astronauts wear diapers during launch and re-entry.”
I couldn’t make this stuff up.
You got it wrong – Shipman is not an astronaut, she works for the Air Force not too far from Kennedy.
Possibly as interesting as the childish obsession is the fact that both of the astronauts in question are Navy officers on active duty, so they may face military “fratenizing” charges, which NASA doesn’t have any rules against.