Lisa Nowak, the former astronaut, who was accused of attacking and attempting to kidnap a love rival, is allowed to remove a monitoring device from her ankle. Nowak, who was arrested in February at the Orlando, Florida airport, was forced to wear the monitoring device ever since.

Lisa Nowak was reportedly romantically linked with Bill Oefelein and went to Orlando on February 5 in order to face out his new lover, Navy officer Colleen Shipman. Nowak had driven all the way, 900 miles, from her home in Houston, Texas, without a stop.

The two rivals met at Orlando airport and according to police reports and Shipman’s testimony, Nowak sprayed pepper spray into her car and tried to enter the vehicle before Shipman managed to drive off from the airport’s parking lot. Police officers quickly arrived at the airport and arrested the 44-year-old woman. The police reported she was armed with a steel mallet, knife and BB gun at the time of the incident.

On February 6, the police charged Nowak with attempted first-degree murder, which carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, but the charges were later dropped.

Following that incident, NASA decided to part ways with its former employee, who flew her first shuttle mission in July 2006 onboard the Discovery spaceship to the International Space Station. She had been with NASA since 1996 and served in mission control, the operations planning and astronaut robotics branches, but Nowak remained on duty as a Navy officer.

The removal of the device was requested by Nowak’s lawyer during last week’s hearing. The lawyers said that the ankle bracelet allegedly provokes discomfort and intervenes in her regular activities, like driving or exercising. Also the bracelet cost $105 a week, they said, and it prevents their client from exercising as required of a military officer.

Judge Marc Lubet decided to approve Nowak’s request because the device did not serve its intended purpose of protecting Shipman from Nowak because Shipman had traveled to Houston to visit her boyfriend, despite the fact that Nowak lived there.

"During these trips by Ms. Shipman to Houston, the electronic monitoring GPS device afforded no protection or benefit to Ms. Shipman, as the defendant could freely move about Houston with no fear of violating any condition of the electronic monitoring GPS device. Under these circumstances, it is clear to this court that the electronic monitoring GPS device does not fulfill its intended purpose of protecting Ms. Shipman," Judge Lubet wrote. Though during the last hearing Shipman told the court she felt safe knowing Capt Nowak had to wear the device.

The judge also added that Nowak had not violated the terms of her release during the past seven months, but she is still not allowed to travel to Washington, D.C, Virginia, Maryland or Delaware where she might come into contact with Shipman or Oefelein. After the February’s incident, on June 1, Bill Oefelein was released by NASA from the astronaut corps and he was re-assigned to the U.S. Navy at the Naval Network Warfare Command in Norfolk, Virginia. He completed his only mission as pilot on STS-116 in December 2006.

Lubet added that Nowak can't come to Florida for any reason other than to make court appearances, meet with her attorney or perform official military duties without court approval. In case she violates these conditions, Nowak may be subject to discipline under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Nowak also must notify Shipman's lawyers of the dates she will be in Florida.

Lubet has asked for another hearing before deciding two other defense motions to suppress Nowak's lengthy arrest interview with police and the search of her BMW.
Lisa Nowak is to appear for a trial beginning September 24 and according to a notice filed on August 28 in State Circuit Court in Orlando, her lawyers will invoke reasons of temporary insanity in her defense.

Defense attorney Donald Lykkebak included in the filling a list of disorders Nowak allegedly suffered from at the moment of the attack, in February 2007, including major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Asperger’s disorder, insomnia and "brief psychotic disorder with marked stressors."

Lykkebak’s notice states that the filing does not challenge Captain Nowak’s competence to stand trial, but “only raises insanity at the time of the offense.”

Following Nowak’s incident NASA ordered some internal reviews and, as announced yesterday the US space agency is working to develop a code of conduct for the astronauts. Called "Expected Astronaut Principles of Behavior" the document will outline the expectations for the astronauts’ behaviour.