Nasa emails hint at relationships in astronaut 'love triangle'

Nasa has released more than 200 pages of emails related to the bizarre case of an astronaut accused of trying to kidnap her romantic rival.

The communications for the most part only hint at the relationships between people involved in an apparent love triangle.

The documents include emails between former astronaut Lisa Nowak and the object of her affection, astronaut William Oefelein, as well as between him and a woman he was involved with, Air Force captain Colleen Shipman, a few of which are notably steamy.

Also included are emails of support sent to Nowak’s boss after her February arrest at an Orlando airport.

Authorities say Nowak stalked Shipman – driving from her home in Texas to Florida – and tried to get into Shipman’s car, later attacking her with pepper spray.

Authorities found maps to Shipman’s home, large rubbish bags, latex gloves and some soiled toddler-sized nappies in Nowak’s car. She was also carrying a bag with a steel mallet, knife, rubber tubing and a ball bearing gun resembling a real 9mm.

Nasa posted the series of emails on a website on Wednesday. Those between Nowak and Oefelein stretch from mid-2004 to January 2007 – most of them covering routine items such as schedules, technical issues about the shuttle and astronaut life insurance.

The early emails between the two are mostly formal, but some of the later ones have a friendlier tone. Nowak and Oefelein both lived in the Houston, Texas, area and trained together, but never flew into space together.

Nowak offers to get Oefelein lunch, invites him to a Houston Astros baseball game being attended by other astronauts, asks for advice on a speaking engagement, asks for a ride to a rodeo and discusses plans to attend a party.

In January 2007, a month before her arrest, he forwarded an email about a party with a short note, “Going to this?”

She responds a minute later in shorthand: “only if u r!”

In August 2006, she is the first to email, wondering what he thinks about a request for her to speak at a symposium. He responds, “I just walked in! What timing. And in regard to this – I know how you don't like doing these, but this group seems like it would very much benefit from your presence (I can relate!).”

More overtly romantic are emails between Oefelein and Shipman. He begins an email in early 2007 “Hey cutie” and signs it “Love you”. In writing about an upcoming trip, he says: “They want your size for the arctic gear…I think I can figure that out – sized sexy and athletic.”

He adds a note about plans to get a hotel saying that “due to noise requirements” he doesn’t want to stay with his parents, concluding “we need some ’privacy’!!!!”.

Nowak spokeswoman Marti Mackenzie issued a statement early today from Nowak’s lawyer, Don Kykkeback, saying: “These emails released by Nasa are deceptively incomplete as they selectively omitted any email Nasa considered personal. They have little if anything to do with Lisa Nowak’s case.”

Oefelein could not be reached for comment. A number listed in his name near the Johnson Space Centre in Houston had been disconnected.

Also included in the documents Nasa released were more than a dozen emails that follow Nowak’s arrest, those directed to chief astronaut Steven Lindsey, who flew to the International Space Station with Nowak in 2006 and accompanied her back to Houston after her arrest in Florida.

The emails come from a range of people – from a Nasa White House liaison to a weather official – and wish Lindsey well, compliment his handling of the incident, and express sympathy and support not just for him but also for Nowak.

A shuttle launch weather officer emails to say that she and her family are praying for Nowak, “her family, and all involved in the events this week,” saying she hopes the email is “not inappropriate”