Posted on 02/07/2007 5:59:20 PM PST by HAL9000
Excerpt -
HOUSTON - Lisa Nowak chose a juggling act of dauntingly high difficulty: to be an astronaut and a mother of three. Her background — high school valedictorian, Naval Academy graduate, test pilot — seemed to equip her for the challenge. Yet as she and some of her acquaintances acknowledged, the stresses on her and her family were extraordinarily intense.On Wednesday, transformed from space hero to criminal suspect, Nowak returned to Houston for a medical assessment, a day after she was charged in Florida with attempted murder and attempted kidnapping in what police depicted as a love triangle involving a fellow astronaut.
The woman viewed as a role model by the schoolchildren she often addressed was met on the tarmac by police and escorted into a waiting squad car after her release on bail. Her head was covered by a jacket. She faced a medical exam at Johnson Space Center.
NASA, at a loss to explain what went wrong, said it would revamp its psychological screening process in light of Nowak's arrest. The review will look at how astronauts are screened for psychological problems and whether Nowak's dealings with co-workers signaled complications.
~ snip ~
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Oefelein divorces in 2005. (It appears likely that Nowak was an issue in the breakup - statement of Oefelein's ex-wife's mother.)
Nowak took her first shuttle flight mid-2006.
Oefelein took his first shuttle flight Dec-2006.
Nowak separates from her husband Jan-2007.
Nowak conducts a 900-mile EVA to communicate with Shipman, who is now orbiting Oefelein.
If so, there were warning signs. Someone should have picked up on it.
The sad part is, brain disorders are as real as if you have diabetes or heart disease, but it is just a different organ that is affected. Yet, people who suffer with brain disorders are very often (out of simple ignorance) made fun of and ridiculed. There are few things as devastating as having a loved one loose their "self" this way (I know, I have a son with a brain disorder). I hope that some day society will view brain disorders with the same level of compassion as any other devastating, life changing health issue.
And those who are handicapped by brain disease do not deserve
to be lumped with the perps.
If I learned anything as a Family-to-Family teacher for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) it is that brain disorders often lay just below the surface and are very difficult to diagnose until there is some major “event.” My own son was probably Bi-Polar his entire life, but it did not manifest itself to the point it could be diagnosed until much later in life. This is not unusual. If you had met my son before his break, you would have never suspected there was anything going on there.
The Original Sin crowd likes to pile on. I suspect it won't be too many years in the future that we will discover that most anti-social or criminal behavior - even pedophilia - can be easily treated with the right procedures or medications.
This gal went to High School with Dan Snyder the owner of the Washington Redskins. Maybe he can hire her to scare the opposing teams
thanks for the info
With all do respect, sir, and as a fellow engineer (electrical), career Air Force officer (24+ years), and father of two (one an AF Pilot), your sentiment is based on simple ignorance. I do not mean that as a personal slam, or as an assessment of your intellect, just a statement of fact. Certainly she needs to be held to account for her actions, but if there is an underlying brain disorder at play, then she needs to be helped just like you would help someone suffering any other health issue. I know of what I speak. I have two sons: One is a successful Air Force pilot and the other, just as bright, will be lucky to work in a department store because he suffers from a brain disorder. Brain disorders are as real as any other health issue and discussing them is not psycobabble, as you put it. Regards, Jag!
Sociopath sounds about right.
And you base this on what experience? I have first hand experience with this issue, i.e., a son with a brain disorder. When he suffered his "break" he did things that the son I knew all those years up till that point would never had done. Mind you, he didn’t break any laws, but he came home one night absolutely convinced that terrorists were chasing him and wanted to kill him (and no, there were no drugs in his system).
This event scared the hell out of my wife and I, so much so that we signed up to learn to be teachers for Family-to-Family, a program sponsored by NAMI, to help other families in the same situation learn how to cope with what is a life-long, life-changing, and very devastating problem. Mind you I have not said that if she broke the law she should not be held to account, but IF a brain disorder is at play (note I said if) then that really should be taken into consideration. The most difficult part of having a loved one with a brain disorder is seeing and hearing how society treats them compared to people who suffer most other health issues. That difference is based on a societal ignorance of the facts about brain disorders.
One of the things about being a NAMI teacher is that we are supposed to take ever opportunity to educate people wherever and whenever we can, and that’s my simple intention here.
If that comes to pass, then what other (noncriminal) forms of behavior will also be "treatable" with the right procedures and medications?
Sociopathy would not have seen her to be as accomplished and well-socialized as she had been throughout her young adult years. Schizophrenia, in very intelligent people, is often deliberately hidden until stressors lead to aberrant behavior.
" 'Lisa Nowak chose a juggling act of dauntingly high difficulty: to be an astronaut and a mother of three.' "
"You can be good at one or the other, but not both."
I agree. I like that the article said she "chose"...
Did you see the WaPo reporter asking questions today at the press conference? He just wanted to make trouble.
LOL........you must not have seen that movie!
I think you're right.
I missed the press conference.
Good summary.
And thanks for your service!
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