Star Crossed
The Story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak
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- USD 21.99
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- USD 21.99
Descripción editorial
The astronaut crime that shocked the world
Star Crossed transports readers to the moment the news broke that one of America’s heroes, an astronaut who had flown aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery& just months before, had been arrested for a very bizarre crime.
Lisa Nowak had driven 900 miles from Houston to Orlando to intercept and confront her romantic rival in an airport parking lot—allegedly using diapers on the trip so she wouldn’t have to stop. Nowak had been dating astronaut William “Billy” Oefelein when she learned that Oefelein was seeing a new girlfriend—U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman. The “astronaut love triangle” scandal quickly made headlines. The world watched as Nowak was dismissed from NASA, pleaded guilty to a felony, and received an “other than honorable” military discharge.
An award-winning investigative reporter who covered Nowak’s criminal case, Kimberly Moore offers behind-the-scenes insights into Nowak’s childhood, her rigorous training, and her mission to space. Moore ventures inside the mind of the detective who studied the actions Nowak took that fateful February night. She includes never-before-told details of Nowak’s psychiatric diagnosis, taking a serious look at how someone so accomplished could spiral into mental illness to the point of possible attempted murder.
This book spotlights the often-overlooked psychological health of astronauts, exploring how they are cared for by NASA doctors and what changes have been made in recent years to support space travelers on long-term missions. Expertly told, Moore’s story is a riveting journey inside the high-pressure world of one of America’s most elite agencies and the life of one beleaguered astronaut.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Investigative reporter Moore, who covered the criminal case of Lisa Nowak for Florida Today, explains in her gripping debut how Nowak, a decorated astronaut and mother of three, could risk everything for love. After Nowak's boyfriend, fellow NASA astronaut Billy Oelefein, broke up with her in late 2006, saying he was in love with Air Force officer Colleen Shipman, Nowak concocted a bizarre scheme. On February 3, 2007, Nowak drove almost nonstop from her home in Houston, Tex., to the Orlando, Fla., airport, where she planned to confront her rival, who she knew from information she'd seen in Oelefein's apartment was due to arrive on a particular flight. Nowak was arrested after assaulting Shipman with pepper spray in the airport parking lot and claimed she only wanted to talk to Shipman, but when the police found weapons and trash bags in Nowak's car, they suspected she intended to kill the woman. Nowak, who pleaded guilty to third-degree felony burglary and misdemeanor assault, received one year probation and was drummed out of NASA. This is must reading for true crime fans.
