Nasa astronaut Lisa Nowak’s bizarre 1 450km road trip to confront a romantic rival may have been sparked when she uncovered steamy e-mails sent to her boyfriend by the other woman, documents released on Monday showed.
Nowak had collected more than a dozen e-mails sent to her one-time boyfriend, space shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein, including one he received during his shuttle mission, according to the documents, released late on Monday by the Orange-Osceola State Attorney’s Office.
”First urge will be to rip your clothes off,” Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman wrote to Oefelein while he was aboard shuttle Discovery in December. ”But honestly, love, I want you to totally and thoroughly enjoy your hero’s homecoming.”
Police have said Nowak (43) raced 1 450km in her car from Houston to Orlando on February 5, wearing an adult diaper so she would not have to stop, to confront Shipman (30).
Nowak donned a wig and trench coat, then sprayed a chemical into the woman’s car when Shipman wouldn’t let Nowak in, police said.
Nowak was charged with attempted kidnapping and burglary with assault. She pleaded not guilty on all counts.
Since her arrest, Nowak has told police that her relationship with Oefelein was more than a working relationship but less than a romantic one. But Oefelein (41) told investigators they had been romantically involved since 2004. – Sapa-AP