Lisa Nowak (born 1963) is a former NASA astronaut and United States Navy officer. Nowak graduated from the Naval Academy in 1985. A naval aviator, she was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 16 in 1996, qualifying as a mission specialist in robotics. She flew in space in July 2006 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-121 mission, where she was responsible for operating the robotic arms of the shuttle and the International Space Station. In February 2007, Nowak was arrested in Orlando, Florida, after she drove about 900 miles (1,400 km) from Texas and accosted and pepper-sprayed Colleen Shipman, a U.S. Air Force captain. Shipman's boyfriend, astronaut William Oefelein, had been in a relationship with Nowak. Terminated by NASA, Nowak pled guilty to burglary and battery in 2009, after which the Navy demoted and discharged her under other than honorable conditions. It was later reported that Nowak was working in Texas.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisa_Nowak

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

919:

A coalition of native Irish, led by Niall Glúndub, failed in their attempt to drive the Vikings of the Uí Ímair from Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Islandbridge

1863:

American Civil War: The Little Rock campaign ended with the Union Army capturing Little Rock, Arkansas. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_campaign

1914:

HMAS AE1, the Royal Australian Navy's first submarine, was lost at sea; its wreck was not found until 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMAS_AE1

1989:

Typhoon Sarah dissipated after causing extensive damage along an erratic path across the Western Pacific, killing 71 in Taiwan, the Philippines, and the Gotō Islands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoon_Sarah_%281989%29

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

rotten borough: 1. (historical) A parliamentary borough that was represented in Parliament although the number of voters had diminished so greatly that they were largely controlled by the main landowner; such boroughs were abolished in the 19th century. 2. (by extension) A parliamentary constituency or electoral district in a similar situation. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rotten_borough

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Work and play are an artificial pair of opposites, because the best kind of play contains an element of work, and the most productive kind of work must include something of the spirit of play.   --Sydney J. Harris https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Sydney_J._Harris