This peculiar situation has created a media frenzy which leaves many with the mind-boggling, head scratching question; what was she thinking?
Lisa Novak is no ordinary individual. She has an accomplished, stellar career in the elite club of the U.S. astronaut corps, a predominantly male club that she ingratiated herself into. Not only has she beaten the odds by being one of the few women who have been on a space mission, she has accomplished this before age 50 and simultaneously managed to raise three kids at the same time. After extensive psychological testing and rigorous training, Novak was selected to venture on the July 2006 space mission where she was in charge of one of the robotic arms of international space shuttle. Since the United States chose the first seven astronauts for its Mercury manned space program in 1959, only 321 U.S. citizens have been admitted to the elite ranks of those with the elusive “right stuff” to fly in space.
Considering the level of scrutiny and security clearance that Novak underwent, it evidently did not registered that she might be emotionally unstable when it comes to her personal love life. Evidently she took meaningful measures to ensure that every detail was calculated for prime execution, an attribute of her NASA training. While she appears to be a successful professional woman, personally she may have been obsessed with gaining the affection of another fellow.
What would drive a brilliant astronaut to take calculated measures to harm another person? While these are allegations in the early stages of a criminal investigation, it’s analogous to the OJ Simpson freeway chase; innocent people do not carry weapons or a large amount of cash with them any time during or after the suspicious act. As incredulous as the revelation that OJ Simpson has written a book about what if he had killed his ex-wife and her male friend, it’s fascinating to watch the events unfold in Novak’s love triangle story. Perhaps she was driven to the point of insanity and allowed her emotions overcome her good sense. Perhaps she thought that with NASA’s backing she could get away with murder. More likely than not it was probably an exaggerated account of what is a colossal miscommunication.