USN Boots Lisa Nowak, Former Astronaut

(NAS Jacksonville, Florida) Navy Capt. Lisa Nowak, famous for chasing a romantic rival across several states while wearing a diaper, is to be demoted to Commander and given a less-than-honorable discharge.

Nowak, who flew on a space shuttle mission in 2006, was arrested after making a 900-mile drive from Houston to Orlando in 2007 to confront a rival for the affections of space shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein.

Nowak was terminated as an astronaut by NASA soon after her arrest, and she was reassigned to Corpus Christi Naval Air Station.

In November, she pleaded guilty to felony burglary and misdemeanor battery. Nowak was given a year's probation on the civilian criminal convictions.

The Naval Board of Inquiry will send its recommendations to SecNav Ray Maybus who will make the final decision on Nowak.

In the meantime, it would be nice to hear a report that the psychological screening process for astronauts was reviewed and improved. Obviously, the screening of Nowak failed to alert on the facts that she acts irrationally and is prone to violent outbursts -- hardly attributes you want in an astronaut.