NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak is charged with pepper spraying and attempting to kidnap another NASA employee, Colleen Shipman, because they were both lovers of a third astronaut, Bill Oeflein.
Nowak is married with three kids.
Police allege Nowak drove almost 1,000 miles from Houston, Texas, to Orlando to confront Shipman about her alleged relationship with Oefelein.
Nowak wore a diaper during the 14-hour drive so that she wouldn't have to stop for bathroom breaks. Astronauts wear what NASA calls maximum-absorbency garments to collect their waste during space travel.
As Shipman walked to her car she noticed a woman in a trench coat who appeared to be following her. She quickly jumped into her car and heard "running footsteps" behind her.
Nowak slapped the window of the car as Shipman locked it. Nowak then tried to open the car door, saying that her ride had not arrived.
Shipman told Nowak she send for help, but when Nowak said she couldn't hear her and started to cry, Shipman cracked her window. The 2-inch space in the window was all Nowak needed to send pepper spray into the car.
Her eyes burning, Shipman drove to a tollbooth and reported the incident.
When an officer found Nowak at a bus stop, she was wearing a different coat, and the officer observed her putting items in a trash can, the police report said. The officer retrieved a wig and a BB gun from the trash can, the report said.
Police found in Nowak's bag a tan trench coat, a new steel mallet, a folding knife with a 4-inch blade, 3 to 4 feet of rubber tubing, large plastic garbage bags and about $600 in cash.
Nowak acknowledged details of Shipman's allegations and allowed officers to search her car. There, police found diapers, six latex gloves, directions from Houston to Orlando International Airport, e-mails from Shipman to Oefelein, a letter indicating how much she loved Oefelein and directions to Shipman's home address in Florida.
Nowak told police that her relationship with Oefelein was "more than a working relationship but less than a romantic relationship."
Nowak has been an astronaut since 1996. Oefelein, 41, was the pilot of the last shuttle mission, also aboard Discovery, which flew in December.
Were the diapers destined for Uranus?
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