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Sunday, July 06, 2008 - 8:12 PM
Maybe someone spiked the Tang? In 2007, NASA’s astronaut corps made
headlines more for sex, violence, and booze than for space exploration.http://louisdjdsheehan.blogspot.com
The run of bad news started in February with the arrest of astronaut
Lisa Marie Nowak, charged with battery, attempted burglary, attempted
kidnapping, and attempted murder after an attack on a woman in an
Orlando parking lot. http://louisdjdsheehan.blogspot.comThe details soon became fodder for late-night
comedians: Both women were involved with the same man
(another astronaut), and Nowak, a 43-year-old married mother of three,
allegedly wore an adult diaper so she could make her Houston-to-Orlando
drive with fewer restroom stops.
NASA put Nowak on leave and removed her flight status and mission
access. Still, at least one of her fellow astronauts was cautiously
sympathetic. In September Buzz Aldrin, the second man to walk on the
moon, said, “Astronauts are not superhuman. It is not excusable, but it
is understandable for an achiever to fall into a trap.”
Nowak seemed like an isolated case until July, when an independent panel studying astronaut health reported some heavy drinking,
even right before launches. As the phrase “bottle to throttle” entered
the lexicon, NASA dismissed the report, which released no specifics,
labeling it an “urban legend.” But the aerospace medical specialist who
led the investigation said NASA’s denials would “increase the risk of
future mishaps or incidents.” If he’s right, NASA could have more rough
years ahead.http://louisdjdsheehan.blogspot.com
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