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Lisa Nowak Facts & Worksheets

Lisa Nowak is a former Navy Captain of the United States, an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and naval flight officer, and NASA astronaut.

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Lisa Nowak is a former Navy Captain of the United States, an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and naval flight officer, and NASA astronaut. She was also the inspiration for the movie “Lucy in the Sky”.

See the fact file below for more information on the Lisa Nowak or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Lisa Nowak worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

BIOGRAPHY

  • Lisa Marie Nowak was born in Washington, DC on May 10, 1963. She was raised in Maryland and entered the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. Nowak also graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering in 1985.
  • Lisa Nowak also studied her Master’s degree at the US Naval Postgraduate School in Aeronautical Engineering, a degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering in 1992.
  • In 1987, Nowak earned her wings as a Naval Flight Officer. She logged more than 1500 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. With this, Nowak was selected for the US Naval Test Pilot School in 1993.
  • After Nowak’s graduation in 1994, she was assigned to work on the acquisition of the new systems at the Naval Air Systems Command for naval aircraft.

THE COLUMBIA SHUTTLE EXPLOSION AND STS 121

  • Two years after, Nowak was selected for the astronaut program in April 1996 and reported for duty at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Texas. After two years of training and evaluation, she qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist.
  • In February 2003, the returning shuttle Columbia was destroyed entirely after having a piece of foam broke off that hit the ship’s wing. It caused the death of seven astronauts on board including Nowak’s closest friend, Laurel Clark. Nowak was devastated about what happened and it affected her state of mind.
  • NASA might have missed the changes in Nowak’s mental state. Being an astronaut is very intense, being in space boarded by a high-powered rocket is a severe matter. That is why astronauts face multiple screenings.
  • However, they used Nowak’s psychological test that was done in 1992 with no follow-up checkups. Additionally, Nowak knew that if she had been found to have other psychological difficulties, there would be chances of her being replaced in the program.
  • Three years later, Nowak went on her first mission, the STS 121 in July 2006. She went aboard on the space shuttle Discovery as a mission flight engineer and spent almost two weeks in space.

NOWAK’S 900-MILE JOURNEY

  • Being an astronaut did not keep Nowak from having a family. Richard, her classmate from the Naval Academy, became her husband and they had three children, a son and twin girls.
  • Nowak started a family while staying on course in the space program at the same time. She stated in an interview that doing it at the same time was tough, but she learned how to handle it properly.
  • However, in 2004, Nowak had an affair with a fellow astronaut. Before she went to space, she had an affair with William Oefelein. She and William trained together but did not go to space at the same time.
  • A year later, William divorced his wife. Nowak and her husband also separated after 19 years of marriage. Nowak had already visualized herself having a future with William Oefelein.
  • However, two years later, in January 2007, Oefelein told Nowak that he was in a relationship with the Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman. Oefelein thought at first that Nowak was disappointed but accepting of his relationship with the captain.
  • But Nowak had accessed Oefelein’s apartment, thanks to the key Oefelein gave to her, where she accessed personal emails between Oefelein and Shipman that were not very pleasant to her.
  • Later, Nowak travelled 900 miles in 14 hours to confront Shipman. She learned that Shipman was returning from a flight from Houston to Orlando.
  • After Shipman spent hours waiting because of the delayed of luggage, she then took the shuttle bus to the car park. Nowak was wearing a wig and trench coat and rode with Shipman. Shipman then realized that Nowak looked out of place, so hurriedly went to her car.
  • Nowak approached Shipman and asked if she could ride with her because her boyfriend did not show up. However, Shipman declined and offered her to call for help. When Shipman opened her windows a little, Nowak then allegedly pepper-sprayed her.
  • Later on, the investigators and police apprehended Nowak. The investigators found printouts of personal emails, hundreds of dollars in cash, pepper spray, rubbing tubing, gloves, a knife, a BB gun, a mallet, and a computer disk that had images of oppression scenes in Nowak’s belonging.
  • The investigators also claimed that Nowak brought baby diapers on the drive to avoid bathroom breaks and pit stops.
  • Nowak was initially charged with attempted murder and kidnapping. However, it was reduced to burglary and misdemeanors. She pleaded guilty in 2009 and was sentenced to a year of probation.
  • In 2010, Nowak was discharged from the Navy and currently lives in Texas and works in the private sector.
  • Oefelein and Shipman were happily married and lived in Alaska with their son.
  • Despite Nowak’s achievements on her space missions, she was always remembered because of what she did on that particular night.

Lisa Nowak Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Lisa Nowak across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Lisa Nowak worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Lisa Nowak who is a former Navy Captain of the United States, an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and naval flight officer, and NASA astronaut. She was also the inspiration for the movie “Lucy in the Sky”.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Lisa Nowak Facts
  • Astronaut’s Profile
  • Flight of Nowak
  • Lucy in the Sky!
  • Filling the Crew
  • Love Triangle Tragedy
  • Jumbled Shuttle
  • STS 121
  • Lisa’s Questions
  • Nowak: Fact or Bluff?
  • 14-Hour Drive

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Link will appear as Lisa Nowak Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, October 4, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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