lisa nowak biography

Lisa Nowak: Why the Astronaut Drove 900 Miles to Attack Her Ex's Girlfriend

During her trip to confront Colleen Shipman, Nowak reportedly wore diapers to avoid bathroom breaks. Her actions inspired the 2019 movie 'Lucy in the Sky.'

Nowak was able to balance a successful career and family

Nowak first became interested in space when she was five years old. "I remember the moon landing and watching those astronauts, and I thought that was very exciting," she said in a 2005 interview . She studied aerospace engineering at the United States Naval Academy and went on to receive a master's degree in aeronautical engineering. In 1996, Nowak made it through the competitive selection process to become an astronaut. She traveled to space as a mission specialist on the shuttle Discovery in July 2006.

Being an astronaut is a demanding profession but her job didn't keep Nowak from starting a family. She married Richard, a classmate from the Naval Academy and they had three children (a son and twin girls). Nowak took pride in both having a family and staying on course in the space program, saying in one interview , "It’s definitely a challenge to do the flying and take care of even one child and do all the other things you have to do. But I learned that you can do it."

In 2004, Nowak began an affair with a fellow astronaut

Yet behind the facade problems existed in Nowak's personal life. In 2004, before she'd made it into space, she began an affair with fellow astronaut William Oefelein. (Oefelein trained with Nowak but the two did not go into space at the same time.) In 2005, Oefelein divorced his wife. After 19 years of marriage, Nowak and her husband separated early in 2007. At the time she seems to have envisioned a future with Oefelein.

However, in mid-January 2007 Oefelein let Nowak know he was in an exclusive relationship with Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman. Oefelein later told investigators he thought Nowak was "disappointed" but "accepting" of the news. But Nowak ended up using a key Oefelein had given her to enter his apartment, where she accessed personal emails between Oefelein and Shipman. In one, Shipman wrote, "Will have to control myself when I see you. First urge will be to rip your clothes off, throw you on the ground and love the hell out of you."

Nowak then proceeded with the trip that would result in headlines dubbing her an "astro-nut."

Nowak approached Shipman in an airport parking lot

Having learned the details of Shipman's return flight from Houston to Orlando thanks to her time in Oefelein's apartment, Nowak made the same 900-mile journey by car and ended up at Orlando International Airport. She then kept watch as Shipman, who'd been visiting Oefelein, got in around 1 a.m. on February 5.

Shipman spent a couple of hours waiting for delayed luggage before taking a shuttle bus to parking. Nowak, wearing a wig and trench coat , rode with her. Shipman spotted Nowak, whose attire made her look out of place, and hurried to her car. Nowak then approached Shipman, claimed her boyfriend hadn't shown up and asked for a ride. Not letting Nowak into her car, Shipman offered to call for help. When Shipman slightly opened her car window, Nowak allegedly pepper-sprayed her .

Fortunately, Shipman was able to drive away and the police apprehended Nowak. Investigators found hundreds of dollars in cash, print-outs of personal emails between Oefelein and Shipman, pepper spray, a knife, rubber tubing, gloves, a BB gun, a mallet and a computer disk that held images of bondage scenes in Nowak's belongings. Her car reportedly also contained diapers — however, these apparently weren't special NASA diapers . Nowak's attorney would later claim there were toddler diapers in her car due to her family's evacuation during the 2005 hurricane season.

As the police had Nowak's identification, they told Shipman her name. It sounded familiar — she and Oefelein had discussed his ex, and Oefelein had once mistakenly called her "Lisa" in bed — so Shipman phoned her boyfriend to confirm the connection. Meanwhile, though she was in police custody, Nowak remained focused on talking to Shipman.

Many speculated that Nowak's time in NASA affected her state of mind

There's no definitive explanation for Nowak's choices. However, some of those close to her speculated that the Columbia shuttle disaster may have played a part in her breakdown. On February 1, 2003, the returning shuttle Columbia was completely destroyed after a piece of foam broke off and hit the ship's wing. Seven astronauts on board lost their lives, including Nowak's close friend Laurel Clark.

It's easier to understand how NASA might have missed changes in Nowak's emotional state. Being propelled into space by a high-powered rocket is not a low-key endeavor, so potential astronauts face rigorous screening. Yet the many psychological tests Nowak had undergone to join the program had been back in 1996, with no regular follow-ups.

In addition, Nowak would have known that seeking aid for any problems would likely mean she'd lose her place in the program. After waiting for years to go to space, she would not have wanted to jeopardize her chances and therefore would have had every incentive to hide personal turmoil.

It's also possible that returning from her 2006 space flight affected Nowak's state of mind . She knew the mission was likely to be her only one (at the time there were many other astronauts waiting in the wings). Nowak may have had trouble readjusting after this never-to-be-repeated journey — in Lucy in the Sky , Portman's character says, "I just feel a little off. You go up there, you see the whole universe, and everything here looks so small."

Nowak pled insanity and her criminal case is now sealed

Nowak was charged with attempted kidnapping and burglary with assault, making her the first active-duty astronaut to face felony charges . NASA let Nowak go a month after she confronted Shipman; Oefelein was released by the agency in June 2007. NASA ended up instituting annual psychological screenings for astronauts.

As her case moved to trial, Nowak's legal counsel filed the paperwork for an insanity plea , claiming she'd suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, insomnia and depression. Then came a ruling that Nowak had not been fully advised of her rights and therefore her police interview was inadmissible in court. In the end, Nowak entered into an agreement that saw her plead guilty to burglary and misdemeanor battery. The judge, taking her status as a first-time offender into account, gave her a year of probation, community service, and directed her to write Shipman a letter of apology.

Shipman was not happy with the sentence. She told the court Nowak had intended to kill her: "It was in her eyes: a blood-chilling expression of limitless rage and glee." The crime had left Shipman with nightmares and dizzy spells; she also felt she needed weapons to protect herself. However, Nowak's actions didn't derail Shipman's relationship with Oefelein. The two both retired from the military in 2008, relocated to Alaska, married in 2010 and now share a son. Shipman also began a writing career, which helped her cope with the attack's aftereffects.

Nowak and her husband divorced in 2008. In 2011, she was given an "other than honorable" discharge from the Navy and was demoted from captain to commander when she left the service. She succeeded in having her criminal case sealed in 2011, though memories of it will live on.

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Where is Lisa Nowak Now?

Former NASA astronaut and decorated U.S. Navy Captain Lisa Nowak charted the journey from earth to space with her genius mind and talent, but no one ever imagined that the dangerous lengths she would go for love would land her in court. After attacking U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman in February 2007, Lisa’s life took a turn for the worse, and she had to pay a heavy price for her actions.

Lisa Nowak’s shocking story has been loosely adapted into the Natalie Portman starrer sci-fi drama movie ‘Lucy in the Sky.’ After watching this fictionalized account of events in the Noah Hawley directorial, many are curious to know more about the case and how Lisa is doing presently. Let’s find out, shall we?

Who is Lisa Nowak?

Born on May 10, 1963, Lisa Marie Nowak (née Caputo) got interested in the space program at an early age after watching the Apollo 11 mission in 1969. To achieve her goal of being an astronaut, she became an all-rounder student during her school years and got accepted into the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. There, she fought severe gender discrimination to rise in rank and became one of the few women to be sent for flight training.

In April 1988, Lisa married her naval academy classmate Richard T. Nowak and the couple welcomed their son in 1992. In the meantime, she not just qualified as a Mission Commander and Electronic Warfare Lead but also earned a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering and a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering. Later, Lisa worked as a Flight Test Engineer as well as in naval aircraft acquisitions and was awarded three prestigious medals. In 1996, she finally got accepted into NASA and after two years of grueling training and hard work, she completed her training in 1998.

Lisa gave birth to her twin daughters in 2001 and specialized in operating the Space Shuttle’s robotic arm. Her biggest achievement happened in July 2006, when she spent 12 days, 18 hours, and 36 minutes in space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. In 2004, trouble began brewing in Lisa’s life as she began an extramarital affair with William Oefelein, a fellow NASA astronaut with whom she first worked in 1995, and later reconnected during a training program in Canada. William and his wife divorced in May 2005, after the latter discovered his affair with Lisa.

By late 2006, the relationship fizzled out, and William began seeing U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman, who worked as an engineer at the Patrick Air Force Base, Florida. In January 2007, Lisa separated from Richard, and William eventually told Lisa about his new partner. As per reports, she took the news amicably, and they remained in touch while training for a charity bicycle race, much to Colleen’s disagreement. Unable to handle William and Colleen’s relationship, Lisa decided to confront the latter and drove 900 miles in Richard’s car on February 4, 2007, from Houston to Orlando, Florida.

The next day, Lisa went to the Orlando International Airport and waited for Colleen, who got late after her flight due to a baggage delay. She then followed her in a bus shuttle into the parking lot and ran toward her car after she got in. According to Colleen, her attacker began requesting her for a ride and tried opening the car door. The former relented and rolled down the window a bit, only for Lisa to spray the car with pepper spray.

Terrified, Colleen drove away to the parking lot booth and informed the police on call, who then arrived and arrested Lisa. She was caught discarding a bag that contained several weapons such as a BB pistol and ammunition, a steel mallet, and a folding knife, along with a trench coat, latex gloves, a black wig, and garbage bags. Upon arrest, Lisa was charged with attempted kidnapping, battery, vehicle battery, and destruction of evidence.

On February 7, 2007, Colleen submitted a handwritten request for a restraining order against Lisa in court and stated that she had been allegedly stalking her for two months. She was initially granted bail after pleading not guilty, but the police charged her with attempted first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in a second arraignment. Lisa posted bail and was made to wear a monitoring device to prohibit her from going near Colleen. She was further put on a 30-day leave from NASA and relieved of her duties as a serving Navy officer.

On April 10, 2007, further evidence obtained from Lisa’s car was released, such as details of Colleen’s flight, and more than 24 items such as money, a floppy disk with photos, an umbrella, flash drives, and bags full of unidentified medicines. Afterward, on May 11, 2007, surveillance footage of her waiting for Colleen at the airport baggage claim was released by the authorities. In August of the same year, Lisa’s monitoring device was removed, and she submitted documents asking for an insanity defense based on an evaluation by two psychiatrists.

After several back and forth, Lisa was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation in April 2009, and her attorney withdrew the insanity defense motion the next month. On November 10, 2009, Lisa pled guilty to third-degree felony burglary and misdemeanor battery, and under a plea deal, was sentenced to one year of probation and 50 hours of community service. In addition, she was asked to write an apology note to Colleen. In 2011, Lisa’s court records were sealed at her request, for her family’s safety.

Lisa Nowak is most likely in her late 50s and resides in Houston, Texas. After her removal from NASA, she remained on active naval duty and worked on developing flight training material for the Chief of Naval Air Training. Due to her adultery with William as well as the legal case that followed, Lisa was asked to retire as a commander with an other than honorable discharge on September 1, 2011.

Moreover, Lisa and Richard got divorced in 2008, and the custody of their three children was given to her. As far as we know, she was working in the private sector in 2017 and prefers to stay away from the public eye as well as media interactions. Lisa lives a peaceful life with her adult son and daughters and aims to put the past behind her.

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US astronaut Lisa Nowak: a short biography

By New Scientist and Reuters

7 February 2007

From 19 to 29 January 2004, six astronauts went on a survival training course in Canada. From left to right, they were Dominic Antonelli, Christer Fuglesang, Lisa Nowak, Dmitry Kondratiyev, Julie Payette and Bill Oefelein

(Image: Canadian Space Agency)

US astronaut Lisa Nowak faces a charge of attempted murder in Florida for assaulting a woman she considered a rival for the affections of fellow astronaut Bill Oefelein. Here are some facts about her background:

• Nowak, who lost three classmates in the 2003 explosion of space shuttle Columbia , flew a 13-day mission aboard shuttle Discovery in July 2006 to the half-built International Space Station.

• A 43-year-old married mother of three, Nowak spent 10 days with five other astronauts – including Oefelein – in a survival training exercise in Canada in 2004. After being trained for four days by the Canadian military, the astronauts were dropped off in the snowy backcountry of northern Quebec. There, they moved camp each night, trekking a total of more than 20 kilometres.

• Nowak earned her wings as a Naval Flight Officer in 1987 and logged more than 1500 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. In 1993, she was selected for the US Naval Test Pilot School. After graduation in 1994, she worked on the acquisition of new systems for naval aircraft at the Naval Air Systems Command.

• Selected for the astronaut program in April 1996, Nowak reported for duty at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, US. She qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist after two years of training and evaluation.

• Nowak received a bachelor of science degree in aerospace engineering from the US Naval Academy in 1985. In 1992, she received a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering and a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the US Naval Postgraduate School.

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Astronaut Biography: Lisa Nowak

NAME: Lisa M. Nowak (Captain, U.S. Navy) NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born May 10, 1963, in Washington, D.C. Married,with three children.

Lisaenjoys bicycling, running, skeet, sailing, gourmet cooking, rubber stamps,crossword puzzles, piano, and African violets. As an undergraduate she competedon the track team. Her parents, Alfredo and Jane Caputo, reside in Rockville,Maryland.

EDUCATION: Graduated from C.W. Woodward High School, Rockville,Maryland, in 1981; received a bachelor of science degree in aerospaceengineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985; a master of science degree inaeronautical engineering and a degree of aeronautical and astronauticalengineer from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, both in 1992.

ORGANIZATIONS: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; U.S.Naval Academy Alumni Association; Tau Beta Pi Engineering Society.

AWARDS: Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal; NavyAchievement Medal; various other service awards.

EXPERIENCE: Nowak received her commission from the U.S. Naval Academyin May 1985, and reported to flight school after six months of temporary dutyat Johnson Space Center.

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Sheearned her wings as a Naval Flight Officer in June 1987, followed by ElectronicWarfare School at Corry Station, Florida, and initial A-7 training at Naval AirStation Lemoore, California.

Shewas assigned to Electronic Warfare Aggressor Squadron 34 at Point Mugu,California, where she flew EA-7L and ERA-3B aircraft, supporting the fleet insmall and large-scale exercises with jamming and missile profiles. Whileassigned to the squadron, she qualified as Mission Commander and EW Lead.

In1992, Nowak completed two years of graduate studies at Monterey, and beganworking at the Systems Engineering Test Directorate at Patuxent River,Maryland. In 1993, she was selected for both Aerospace Engineering Duty andU.S. Naval Test Pilot School.

Aftergraduation in June 1994, she stayed at Patuxent River working as an aircraftsystems project officer at the Air Combat Environment Test and EvaluationFacility and at Strike Aircraft Test Squadron, flying the F/A-18 and EA-6B. Nowakwas then assigned to the Naval Air Systems Command, working on acquisition ofnew systems for naval aircraft, when she was selected for the astronautprogram.

Nowakhas logged over 1,500 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE: After receiving her commission Nowak wasassigned temporary duty and from June to November 1985 she provided engineeringsupport for the JSC's Shuttle Training Aircraft Branch at Ellington, Texas.

Selectedby NASA in April 1996, Nowak reported to the Johnson Space Center in August1996. Having completed two years of training and evaluation, she becamequalified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Initially assignedtechnical duties in the Astronaut Office Operations Planning Branch, she alsoserved in the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch and in the CAPCOM Branch,working in Mission Control as prime communicator with on-orbit crews. Nowakflew as a missionspecialist on STS-121 in 2006 and has logged almost 13 days in space.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-121 (July 4-17, 2006), was a return-to-flighttest mission and assembly flight to the International SpaceStation.

Duringthe 13-day flight the crew of SpaceShuttle Discovery tested new equipment and procedures that increase the safetyof space shuttles, repaired a rail car on the International Space Station andproduced never-before-seen, high-resolution images of the Shuttle during andafter its July 4th launch.

Nowakwas responsible for operating the remote arm during scheduled EVAs. The crewalso performed maintenance on the space station and delivered and transferredmore than 28,000 pounds of supplies and equipment, and a new Expedition 13 crewmember to the station. The mission was accomplished in 306 hours, 37 minutesand 54 seconds.

Lastupdated: October 2006

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Astronaut Love Triangle: Lisa Nowak's Life 10 Years Later

The former astronaut involved in the infamous "astronaut love triangle" lives a quiet life today

It seemed that Lisa Nowak had all the right stuff. As a NASA astronaut, she went into space as a mission flight engineer on July 4, 2006. She was a crew member on a 13-day Shuttle mission, operating the robotic arm for several spacewalks. A married mom of three young kids, she was also a flight officer in the United States Navy.

But on February 5, 2007, her accomplished life began to shatter.

Nowak had driven 900 miles from Houston to Orlando. In her car, she had a trench coat, black wig, pepper spray, a BB gun, rope, trash bags, an 8-inch knife and other items. Police reports claimed that she had space diapers with her, so she wouldn’t have to stop for bathroom breaks.

In the early morning hours of that day, Nowak was wearing a black wig and trench coat when she approached Colleen Shipman’s car in the parking lot of Orlando International Airport. She banged on the Shipman’s window and begged for a ride. When Shipman rolled down her window, Nowak sprayed her with pepper spray and tried to get in the car.

Shipman fled the scene, shaken but unhurt. Police arrested Nowak on attempted murder and kidnapping charges.

The story soon became international news when details emerged about the altercation. Shipman had recently begun dating Bill Oefelein, an astronaut who had once dated Nowak. The resulting case was dubbed the “astronaut love triangle.”

The Aftermath

The bizarre attack plunged Oefelein and Shipman’s new relationship into an unwelcome national spotlight. It caused consequences for their careers and turned them into a punch line on late night talk shows.

The couple eventually got married. Colleen Shipman Oefelein spoke out to PEOPLE last year in the only interview she has ever given. “[After the attack] I thought, ‘I’m going to be okay,'” she recalls. “But it never was okay after that.”

It was a dark time for Bill Oefelein, as well. He was misperceived as a philanderer, even though his relationship with Nowak — who was separated at the time — had ended before he’d dated Shipman.

Nowak also faced severe repercussions. In 2008, she and her husband, Richard, divorced. She pleaded guilty in 2009 to a reduced charge of burglary and misdemeanor battery. During the court hearing, she said she was “sincerely sorry” for her actions, and promised that she would never contact Oefelein again. She was given a year of probation. In 2010, she received an “other than honorable discharge” from the Navy.

Their Lives Today

Ten years after the infamous attack, everyone has tried to move forward. The Oefeleins married in 2010 and settled in Alaska. They run the website Adventurewrite.com, which promotes writing for kids. Shipman works as a writer. She published a first novel, Eerie , in December 2015 under the pen name C.M. McCoy. They have a 5-year-old son, Junior.

Nowak, now 54, has vanished from public life. Her oldest son just turned 25; her twin daughters are now 16.

She lives in a modest home in Texas and works in the private sector. She does not give interviews, and has tried to put the past behind her. Despite the tough times in her past, her attorney told PEOPLE last year that she’s in a better place: “She’s doing well.”

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• The True Story Behind <em>Lucy in the Sky</em>—and the One Key Detail the Movie Leaves Out

The True Story Behind Lucy in the Sky —and the One Key Detail the Movie Leaves Out

I n 2007 the world was captivated by the sensational details surrounding an “astronaut love triangle”— turning the story into a media spectacle.

That story is the inspiration for Lucy in the Sky , a new film starring Natalie Portman which hits theaters Oct. 4 following its September premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film is loosely inspired by the life of NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak , who was widely reported to have worn a diaper on a 14-hour cross country drive to confront the new flame of her former lover, becoming the first astronaut ever to be arrested.

Lucy in the Sky , the big-screen directorial debut of Fargo and Legion showrunner Noah Hawley, follows the downfall of the fictional astronaut Lucy Cola, who upon returning to earth from a space mission feels discontented with the smallness of her normal life. Lucy becomes obsessed with returning to space and becomes entangled in an affair with a handsome co-worker played by Jon Hamm. When things begin to fall apart professionally and personally for Lucy, she falls into an epic spiral that lands her in police custody. Fueled by jealousy and rage, Lucy is driven to madness when her NASA colleagues deny her an opportunity to participate in an upcoming mission.

While Lucy in the Sky does reflect some major events in Nowak’s life, the film uses her strange real-life downfall more as a backdrop to a larger story about the psychological effects of space travel on astronauts—similar to what Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin has described experiencing upon his return to Earth following his famous mission to the moon.

“There was no goal, no sense of calling, no project worth pouring myself into,” Aldrin wrote in his autobiography Magnificent Desolation.

Lisa Nowak’s attorney, Donald Lykkebak, tells TIME in a statement that Nowak has had no desire to comment on the film that he describes as “an entirely fictional story and not based on reality.”

“It should be noted that the movie is being advertised as ‘loosely based on the story of…’ Although that is the line they are using, the key word is ‘loosely.’ Lisa Nowak is not the ‘Lucy” in the movie,” Lykkebak says.

Here’s a breakdown of the story that loosely inspired Lucy in the Sky .

Who is Lisa Nowak?

Lisa Marie Nowak was born on May 10, 1963, in Washington, D.C. Raised in Maryland, Nowak entered the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, and in 1985 she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering.

In 1996, Nowak was selected to be an astronaut at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, qualifying as a mission specialist in robotics. According to friends and family, Nowak was a dedicated mother and wife, who would have neighbors over for Easter brunches , and whose hobbies included bicycling, growing African violets and collecting rubber stamps. Friends and family said Nowak was deeply affected by the 2003 Columbia shuttle explosion, in which one of her best friends, Laurel Clark, died.

“It’s devastating for everybody, and when it’s friends, people that you know, it’s even harder,” Nowak told NASA in a pre-mission interview in 2006. “Three of those people were in my class, that I knew very well. So that’s hard. But I remember on that day, sitting there with my son, and we’re both watching together everything’s that’s happening, and he reached over and took my hand and said, ‘Mom, I still want you to go.’ So, it’s a terrible tragedy to happen, but we know that there is a cause behind it and that we’re going to continue to follow that.”

Three years after the explosion, Nowak went on her first mission— STS 121 —in July 2006, aboard the space shuttle Discovery as a mission flight engineer, spending nearly two weeks in space.

Despite all of her previous accomplishments, she may forever be known for a single night in February 2007, when Nowak took a 900-mile journey to confront her ex-lover’s new girlfriend.

Most notably, according to a police report, Nowak told one detective she brought baby diapers on the drive to avoid pit stops, a claim that grew more florid in the retelling. Soon many media reports, not to mention late-night talk show monologues, were saying that she had been wearing a “Maximum Absorbent Garment”—an adult diaper that astronauts commonly use upon launch and re-entry—a story that was denied by Nowak’s attorney Donald Lykkebak, who called it “an absolute fabrication.”

Nowak was initially charged with attempted murder and kidnapping, but charges were eventually reduced to burglary and misdemeanors. Nowak pleaded guilty in 2009 and was sentenced to a year of probation. The following year, Nowak was discharged from the Navy. She now lives in Texas and works in the private sector.

In Lucy in the Sky , Lucy Cola follows a similar trajectory. Portrayed as a lifelong overachiever at the behest of her domineering grandmother (Ellen Burstyn), Cola’s competitive drive is what sets her apart from her peers. Upon returning from a space mission, she becomes obsessed with returning and begins training immediately. But she is distracted by a budding romance with Mark Goodwin (Hamm)—a love affair that leads her into a downward spiral.

Lucy’s competitive nature ultimately brings about her downfall. When she is rejected romantically and at work, she refuses to take “no” for an answer and takes extreme measures to set things “right.” As Portman plays the character, she is completely unaware of her erratic behavior and the way she is perceived by others.

Who was involved in the astronaut love triangle?

Not much is known about the exact nature of the real relationship between Nowak and William Oefelein. Nowak described it to police as “more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship.” Nowak was married to her husband Richard Nowak for 19 years. The pair had three children; at the time of her arrest, her son was a teenager and her twin daughters were 5 years old.

Nowak met Navy Cmdr. William Oefelein in 1996, and they trained alongside one another in the NASA space shuttle program. Oefelein told police the relationship began in 2004, before Nowak separated from her husband of 19 years, and ended before he began dating Colleen Shipman, a 30-year-old U.S. Air Force captain and engineer based at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, in November 2006.

Oefelein, who described his relationship with Nowak as “somewhat exclusive,” told police he ended things with Nowak as his relationship with Shipman intensified. According to police, after going through Oefelein’s computer and finding romantic emails with Shipman, Nowak discovered Shipman’s travel plans. It was then that she decided to make the journey to Orlando to confront her.

Following Nowak’s arrest, she was ordered to stop all contact with Oefelein. Nowak and her husband divorced in 2008, and in 2010, Shipman and Oefelein married and moved to Alaska, where they live with their son.

In Lucy in the Sky, Lucy and Mark’s relationship begins almost immediately after Lucy returns from space. Lucy has been married to her husband Drew (Dan Stevens) for six years. The pair had put off having children due to Lucy’s focus on advancing in her career, but they agree to try to have a child when she returns from her next mission. In the meantime, they help raise Lucy’s brother’s teen daughter, Blue Iris (Pearl Amanda Dickson).

While training for a spot in the next space mission, Lucy is charmed by Mark, who has a reputation for philandering. The two slowly grow closer until Lucy is completely captivated by her co-worker. While Lucy is head-over-heels in love, Mark is shown to be more casual about their relationship.

Unlike Nowak, who never met Shipman until their confrontation, Lucy competes with her rival Erin (Zazie Beetz) for a qualifying position on an upcoming space mission. Lucy does not seem threatened by Erin until an awkward encounter reveals she and Mark are a romantic item.

Lucy’s life begins to unravel following several setbacks—including being rejected by a distant Mark—and things come to a head when she is told she is no longer being considered for a space mission and learns that Mark contributed to her rejection.

Lucy in the Sky gives its protagonist a less sinister motive than what police records allege happened in real life. Lucy does not seem to hold animosity towards Erin and never attempts to hurt her.

The infamous “diaper” drive

In the early hours of Feb. 5, 2007, Nowak arrived in Orlando after making a 14-hour, 900-mile journey from Houston, armed with a steel mallet, BB gun, a 4-inch knife and large trash bags, according to the New York Times . Despite the already bizarre nature of the case, the detail that attracted the most headlines was the police report that Nowak carried, and used, baby diapers on her journey to save time by avoiding pitstops.

Donning a dark wig , sunglasses and trench coat, Nowak approached Shipman in the parking lot of Orlando International Airport, following her on a bus and then onto a parking lot where she cornered her into her car, banging on her window claiming she needed help. When Shipman cracked opened the window, Nowak pepper-sprayed Shipman, according to police. Shipman drove away from the scene and alerted police, who found Nowak throwing her wig and BB – gun into a garbage can.

When police arrested Nowak, she claimed her intention was to confront Shipman about her relationship with Oefelein, but prosecutors alleged Nowak had a well-thought-out plan to harm Shipman and charged her with attempted murder and kidnapping.

During the trial, Shipman asked the judge to sentence Nowak to jail time, claiming Nowak had every intention of harming her. “She was going to kill me. It was in her eyes: a blood-chilling expression of limitless rage and glee,” Shipman said in court .

After striking a plea deal, Nowak was sentenced to a year’s probation, community service and counseling. In one of her only public statements regarding the case, Nowak issued an apology to Shipman outside a Florida courtroom.

“I know this has also been very hard for Colleen Shipman and I would like her to know how very sorry I am for having frightened her in any way and about the subsequent public harassment that has followed all of us,” Nowak told reporters.

The climax of Lucy in the Sky also involves the protagonist heading on an ill-fated interstate drive but with key differences from Nowak’s—mainly the exclusion of the headline-grabbing diapers. In the film, Lucy heads to the airport (in San Diego instead of Orlando) to confront Mark, not Erin. When Lucy tracks down Mark, she sees he is joined by Erin.

Lucy follows Mark into the parking lot and is spotted by Erin, but instead of turning her anger towards Erin, she pepper-sprays Mark. Unlike Nowak, Lucy is also accompanied on her trip by her niece, who at one point hides a loaded gun from Lucy out of fear she might use it. Lucy’s ill-fated trip is fueled by her jealousy of Mark and Erin’s relationship, but her intention differs from that of Nowak, who confessed she meant to confront her ex-lover’s new girlfriend.

Anyone with any knowledge of Nowak’s cross-country trip will be surprised to find that the film does not make mention of the infamous diaper detail. Many people on Twitter, after initial reviews came out of Toronto, lamented the absence of this feature of the story. Portman, the film’s star, addressed the lack of diapers in the film in an interview, saying that the film is not specifically based on Nowak’s life, just inspired by it.

“It was an interesting detail because it was something that seemed so radical to all of us listening to it,” she told the Los Angeles Times . “But actually it’s part of an astronaut’s life. They wear diapers the whole time because that’s what you do in space. It’s not like it would be an unusual choice. It seems a lot nuttier if that’s not something you do every day. But I guess I still have a diaper movie in my future to fulfill everyone’s expectations.”

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Lifestyle | Celebrity

Who is astronaut Lisa Nowak? The true story the Lucy in the Sky movie is based on

Natalie Portman returns to the big screen this month with the release of Lucy in the Sky, a domestic thriller based on the life of astronaut Lisa Nowak and the true story of what happened to her after she returned home to earth.

Starring alongside Jon Hamm, Dan Stevens and more, Portman’s role as the NASA captain has drawn a lot of attention online thanks to the true story of Nowak that inspired it - including a very strange debate over a diaper.

The story of Nowak is being brought to life by director Noah Hawley, the showrunner behind television programmes including Fargo and Legion.

Who is Lisa Nowak?

Lisa Nowak is the real woman Portman’s character Lucy Cola is based on. Nowak was a NASA astronaut and former navy captain, who went to space in 2006 on shuttle Discovery. Nowak, who at this point was married to a classmate from her naval academy days called Richard Nowak and had three children with him, later began to have an affair with a fellow astronaut named William Oefelein in 2004.

Although Oefelein and Nowak did not go on the 2006 mission they did train together. In 2007, after Nowak had returned to earth, Oefelein ended his relationship with Nowak as he had moved on with Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman - which prompted Nowak to access Oefelein’s private emails with Shipman.

After Nowak discovered where Shipman lived, she drove 900 miles to Orlando International Airport where Shipman was set to land after taking a flight from Houston.

One of the details of the story which has somewhat eclipsed the tale is the fact that detectives revealed three used diapers were found in the backseat of her car, which Detective Becton testified at trial that “Captain Nowak had acknowledged having used on the trip to reduce the number of stops” according to the New York Times. (Nowak’s attorney, Mr. Lykkebak, however, claimed that the diapers were “left over” after her family had evacuated from Hurricane Rita two years prior.)

When Nowak finally arrived at the airport, she waited for Shipman to arrive and hopped on a shuttle bus to the airport parking lot that Shipman was also on.

In a police affidavit, Shipman revealed that she knew that Nowak (who was dressed in a disguise consisting of a wig and trenchcoat) “was following her” and as she “feared for her safety”, Shipman got into her car as “running footsteps” came towards her.

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Nowak is said to have “slapped at the window” of Shipman’s car and claimed that she was stranded by her boyfriend, asking Shipman to give her a ride. After Shipman said no, Nowak then asked to borrow her phone (which Shipman again said no to) which prompted Nowak to cry.

After that, Shipman rolled down her window to talk to her and Nowak allegedly pepper sprayed Shipman in the eyes. Shipman was still able to drive and made it to the toll booth at the parking lot exit, where police were then called to the scene and Nowak was arrested for battery.

According to Reuters, a bag found at the scene belonging to Nowak was filled with weapons including a two pound mallet, four inch knife, rubber hose and 9 mm semi-automatic BB gun.

Biography.com claimed that other things found in Nowak’s belongings included a computer disk full of bondage scenes, printouts of Oefelein and Shipman’s emails, pepper spray and hundreds of dollars in cash.

Nowak appeared in court to face the consequences, which according to The New York Times meant that she was the first ever active-duty astronaut to face felony charges.

She attempted to claim insanity, with Reuters stating that Nowak alleged she had obsessive compulsive disorder, a depressive disorder and other mental health issues, though the paperwork was later sealed under the judge’s order.

Nowak eventually pleaded guilty to felony burglary of a car and misdemeanour battery, which resulted in a year’s probation, 50 hours of community service and court-mandated anger management classes. She was also was made to write an apology to Oefelein and Shipman, though a judge told her, “You are to stay totally away from [Shipman] and have absolutely no contact of any sort. You brought this on yourself. I don’t have any sympathy for you in that respect.”

Although she had been charged with attempted kidnapping, the felony charge was dropped and Nowak apologised to Shipman on the stand saying, “I am sincerely sorry. I hope very much that we can all move forward from this with privacy and peace."

Shipman was not however pleased with the result, as she said according to Fox, "Please don’t be fooled. I was fooled. Lisa Nowak is a very good actress… Almost three years later, I'm still reeling from her vicious attack. I know in my heart when Lisa Nowak attacked me, she was going to kill me. I believe I escaped a horrible death that night."

Shipman later cried during her final statement, saying, “The world as I knew it before Lisa Nowak attacked me is gone. I constantly look over my shoulder when I go outside so I can’t be a victim to a surprise attack again.”

Shipman also claimed that she had been made to feel guilty for bringing the case up in the first place, saying in a 2016 interview, “Everybody from my commander on down was treating me like, why can’t you just make this go away? The prosecutor made the decision. It was not up to me. I wasn’t really pushing anything, except doing what I thought a responsible person would do, which was to report a crime and then cooperate with authorities.”

Where is Lisa Nowak now?

Nowak and her husband divorced in 2008. Shortly after the 2007 incident, NASA fired Nowak and the navy followed suit in 2011 when she was given an “other than honorable” discharge - which included a demotion from captain to commander. Her case was sealed in 2011.

In 2017, People claimed that Nowak lived in “a modest home in Texas and works in the private sector”. Although she declined to be interviewed, her attorney told the outlet that she is “doing well”.

As for Shipman and Oefelein, the pair moved to Oefelein’s home state Alaska and tied the knot in 2010 - leaving their lives in space behind them. Shipman gave an interview to People in 2016, in which it was revealed she is a novelist and runs a website called Adventurewrite.com with her husband. She has a son with Oefelein called Junior.

What was the Lucy in the Sky diaper controversy?

Director Noah Hawley revealed in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that there would be no diapers in Lucy in the Sky, explaining that the detail “just didn’t fit into the story.”

He said, “What was interesting to me, as I thought about taking this on, was what’s really behind a tabloid story? A human being with dignity who made some bad choices and ended up in a story that is now smaller than it should be.”

“Her human experience has been reduced to a joke, on some level. I wanted to try to tell that story, and allow her to retain her dignity—but you now understand what she did, and now it’s a tragedy and not a farce. As a tragedy, she can find some redemption,” he continued.

Despite his well intentioned reasoning, Twitter had a lot of (less considered) feelings about his decision, “WHY would you make a movie about the Diaper Astronaut and then take the diaper part out” one user said.

Portman also addressed the backlash to Hawley’s diaper-related decision on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. She said, “We didn’t do [the diaper] in the movie and everyone’s like: ‘Where’s the diaper?!’ Everyone’s really upset to not see me in a diaper.”

Hawley talked about the diaper again following the backlash, saying to the Hollywood Reporter, “I found it interesting that response, people who said, 'There's no diaper and I'm not OK with that.’ I thought it said more about them really; what is it that makes you want that detail, that makes you want to reduce her to a punch line again?”

"The goal of the film is to re-humanize her and to build empathy for her, to show you that she had an emotional and existential crisis and that's part of becoming an adult,” he said.

When does Lucy in the Sky come out in the UK?

Lucy in the Sky will come out on December 6, 2019.

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