Lisa Nowak

Lisa Marie Nowak, born Lisa Marie Caputo on May 10, 1963, in Washington, D.C., is a former NASA astronaut, aeronautical engineer, and retired U.S. Navy officer. She flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-121 mission in July 2006, where she operated the robotic arms on both the shuttle and the International Space Station. In 2007, she became the subject of a widely reported criminal case, eventually pleading guilty to felony burglary and misdemeanor battery. This led to her demotion from Navy captain to commander, termination from NASA, and forced retirement from the Navy.

Nowak grew up in Rockville, Maryland, with her two younger sisters. Her father, Alfredo F. Caputo, worked as a computer consultant, and her mother, Jane L. Caputo, was a biological specialist. After watching the Apollo 11 Moon landing in 1969, she developed an interest in spaceflight, later following the Space Shuttle program and the introduction of female astronauts in 1978. She attended Luxmanor Elementary School, Tilden Middle School, and Charles W. Woodward High School in North Bethesda, Maryland. During her junior year, she told her mother she planned to become an astronaut. She was a Girl Scout, a member of the Société Honoraire de Français, competed on the math team and student council, and played field hockey and track. In 1981, she was named Student Athlete of the Year and graduated as co-valedictorian. Accepted by both Brown University and the U.S. Naval Academy, she chose the Academy, believing it offered a better path to becoming an astronaut. Women had been admitted to Annapolis only since 1976, and when she entered as a plebe in 1981, female midshipmen made up just 6 percent of the student body and faced harassment from some classmates and professors. She graduated on May 22, 1985, with a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering and was commissioned as an ensign.

For her first Navy assignment, Nowak chose a six-month stint at the Johnson Space Center, working as an aerospace engineer at Ellington Air Force Base near Houston, Texas. During that time, six Space Shuttle launches occurred. In December 1985, she reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, for flight training. Because women were still barred from combat roles, many flight jobs were unavailable to them, and those accepted into training sometimes faced resentment. She completed primary flight training on the T-2 Buckeye, T-39 Sabreliner, and TA-4J Skyhawk, qualifying as a naval flight officer in June 1987. Her training continued at the Electronic Warfare School at Corry Station and then at Naval Air Station Lemoore. She later earned a Master of Science in aeronautical engineering and a degree in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. In 1993, she was selected for the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, where she later flew the F/A-18 Hornet and EA-6B Prowler. Over her Navy career, she logged more than 1,500 hours in over 30 aircraft and received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, and the Navy Achievement Medal.

Selected by NASA for Astronaut Group 16 in 1996, Nowak qualified as a mission specialist in robotics. She flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-121 in July 2006, operating the shuttle’s and the space station’s robotic arms. In February 2007, she was arrested in Orlando, Florida, after confronting and pepper-spraying Colleen Shipman, a U.S. Air Force captain who was romantically involved with astronaut William Oefelein, with whom Nowak had been in a relationship. Released on bail, she initially pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted kidnapping, burglary with assault, and battery. NASA terminated her assignment as an astronaut. In 2009, she accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to felony burglary of a car and misdemeanor battery. She remained a Navy captain until the following year, when a Naval Board of Inquiry voted unanimously to reduce her rank to commander and retire her under other than honorable conditions after 25 years of service.