The sad story of astronaut Lisa Nowak continues to unfold. This thing seems to have many layers of complexity to it. It is interesting to see how the news media have approached it. People in the news business seem to have a set of tools in their bag from which they shape stories. Some reporters are grilling NASA about fraternizing policy while others focus on the lurid detail about the diaper. Perhaps someone will eventually make the connection with the Mercury program and how the astronauts wore diapers on these early flights. It is just a concession to the pragmatics of long endurance travel. Pretty clever, really. But regardless of her clever determination, using violence to resolve this kind of conflict has no valid excuse.
It is rather painful to watch.
Lamentations on Chemistry 
This is one of the most fascinatingly weird new stories in a long time…like some really bad pulpy-romance dime-store-novel-Lifetime-movie-plot gone awry. I still can’t get over the detail that she drove 900 miles wearing a diaper so she wouldn’t have to stop. Space does strange things to you, it seems.
The diaper issue is trivial, as I discuss in my blog.
The issue that most scientists will not understand is that it is quite possible operate in the rational mode 99.9 percent of the time of one’s span on earth, but to drift into temporary madness the remaining 0.1 percent. This is a consequence of mental attitude and external circumstances. You may never understand it because you haven’t experienced it, but then again, someday you may.