a diaper wearing, bb-gun touting female astronaut goes psycho in love-triangle

Denny writes:

Uhh, can't tell you where it was... I did a quick google on her
yesterday and skimmed several articles... One showed her photo-op in
her pressure suit in 2006... In this she is a gorgeous lady, calm
appearance and body language, very sure of herself... The mug shot
that many of us saw was a huge contrast, she looks 20+ years older,
strained, the cords in her neck standing out, twisted body position,
etc...

You can see these in the CNN articles. It does indeed look like that set of
"Meth is Death" photos circulating around that show methamphetamine addicts
before and after their addictions.

It looks like something has gone seriously wrong with her.

Just a textbook case of a psychotic break... Possibly schizophrenic
but I cannot make that diagnosis without more information...

I cannot speculate on her mental condition, except to say that I find it odd
that such extreme behavioral tendencies would not have been noticed in some
way as she entered the space program.

If the strict examinations for astronauts didn't turn up these anomalies, what
sort of people are slipping through the cracks among licensed pilots?

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On Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:14:29 +0100, Mxsmanic wrote:

Just a textbook case of a psychotic break... Possibly schizophrenic
but I cannot make that diagnosis without more information...

I cannot speculate on her mental condition, except to say that I find it odd
that such extreme behavioral tendencies would not have been noticed in some
way as she entered the space program.

Historically, astronaut programs have absolutely loaded with monomaniacal,
driven personalities. When you look at the competition involved for the few
flight spots available, only the most focussed, goal-oriented fanatics succeed.
These people are attuned to win, and as revelation of the slightest flaw is
likely to get them pulled off the program, they're well attuned to hiding
problems. I'm not a psychiatrist, but it seems to me that a schizophrenic might
have ADVANTAGES in such an environment.

For good insight, read Mike Mullane's "Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a
Space Shuttle Astronaut." First, it's an absolute hoot. But it otherwise
provides a view into what it takes to make it to the top. The book begins with
his physical examination for the astronaut program. He's due for a proctologic
examination, and has been given instructions for a process to clean out his
system prior to the exam. He's heard another candidate got rejected because the
process was not thorough enough...thus Mullane goes through extraordinary steps
to ensure that his colonic system is practically shining by the time the doctor
takes a look. You'll be rolling on the floor as you read it...but you see what
it takes to make it into the astronaut program.

Mullane goes into great detail of what it takes to get selected for "Prime Crew"
(e.g., scheduled for a launch). The extreme jockeying and politics. The joy of
selection, the savage desperation as one is passed over, especially as the Prime
Crews are treated like kings as their big day approaches. The way every delay
is torture, and how every launch scrub is a wire-brushing of your psyche.

But then there's the launch. You're literally on top of the world. You can
call yourself an "Astronaut" without the mental wince at never having flown.
You have made it to a very exclusive fraternity; your name is indelibly
inscribed in this history books. You can strip every other patch off your
flying jacket...you've got the one that matters.

But what happens AFTER the Shuttle lands? From the top of the pyramid, you drop
to the bottom of the heap. You're no longer in lead position on the NASA web
page. You lose your reserved parking spot right at the entrance to the
building. They take your photo down from the lobby. You watch others take your
place as Prime Crew, getting the adulation and attention that fed you for
months. With the size of the astronaut corps and the low mission rate, you face
literally YEARS before fly again. And if you're a certain age, or perhaps
didn't handle your PR duties well enough, you aren't going to fly again.

What happens to these focussed individuals when the focus is gone? For ten
years, your whole life has been devoted to reaching 100 KM altitude. Once you
become a real, genuine astronaut, what next? After Nowak made her first flight
last July... what did she have in her life that could even come close to the
thrill, the ego-boost, of being "Prime Crew"?

We can be pretty sure that astronauts aren't the kinds of people who crack under
pressure... the selection process weeds these people out. But the RELEASE of
pressure can be just as damaging, and there's no real way to test for it. And I
suspect it's far more harmful to the types of individuals that make it into the
astronaut corps.

Ron Wanttaja

Ron Wanttaja writes:

For good insight, read Mike Mullane's "Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a
Space Shuttle Astronaut." First, it's an absolute hoot. But it otherwise
provides a view into what it takes to make it to the top.

I looked at the excerpt on Amazon, and I've added it to my wish list. It does
look very entertaining (in fact, the excerpt describes the proctological
exam).

What happens to these focussed individuals when the focus is gone? For ten
years, your whole life has been devoted to reaching 100 KM altitude. Once you
become a real, genuine astronaut, what next? After Nowak made her first flight
last July... what did she have in her life that could even come close to the
thrill, the ego-boost, of being "Prime Crew"?

We can be pretty sure that astronauts aren't the kinds of people who crack under
pressure... the selection process weeds these people out. But the RELEASE of
pressure can be just as damaging, and there's no real way to test for it. And I
suspect it's far more harmful to the types of individuals that make it into the
astronaut corps.

My personality is very different from this, and so I had not considered the
potential effects of the "after success" period. Still, Nowak's reaction
seems very extreme.

If anything, I've deliberately avoided this type of life because I don't
consider that being at the top adequately compensates being at the bottom.
Being in pure bliss for me one day and suicidal the next equates to a
disconnection with reality in both situations. By maintaining a more even
keel, you stick closer to reality. But I can see the parallels with
manic-depressive personalities.

In emergencies, it seems that this type of personality would be a handicap,
unless a person can force himself into a manic state at will, in which case it
might work out well. But simply having a consistently calm demeanor might
work just as well.

It's unfortunate that these domains are so competitive. I'm not sure that the
type of personality that succeeds at such competitions is necessarily the best
suited to the tasks in question. A manic-depressive might do the job well,
but there might well be other people without these mood swings who would do as
well or better, but are immediately excluded by competitive recruiting simply
because they don't really have the drive to succeed at any cost.

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Mxsmanic wrote:
It's unfortunate that these domains are so competitive. I'm not sure
that the type of personality that succeeds at such competitions is
necessarily the best suited to the tasks in question. A manic-
depressive might do the job well, but there might well be other
people without these mood swings who would do as well or better, but
are immediately excluded by competitive recruiting simply because
they don't really have the drive to succeed at any cost.

A truly bipolar personality would never get close to qualifing for NASA
training.

I do find it very interesting that you equate a personality type that in the
real world is one almost always tied to success as a mental illness.

Gig 601XL Builder writes:

A truly bipolar personality would never get close to qualifing for NASA
training.

I'm not so sure. How do you explain Lisa Nowak?

I do find it very interesting that you equate a personality type that in the
real world is one almost always tied to success as a mental illness.

Sometimes mental illness can lead to success. A lot of successful people have
had psychological problems.

--
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Mxsmanic wrote:
Gig 601XL Builder writes:

A truly bipolar personality would never get close to qualifing for
NASA training.

I'm not so sure. How do you explain Lisa Nowak?

Oh I didn't say she wasn't nuts now. Bipolar and a lot of other mental
illnesses can come on later in life. But to pick nits she hasn't been
diagnosed with anything yet. Though I'm sure her lawyers will parade a bunch
of them before this is all over.



I do find it very interesting that you equate a personality type
that in the real world is one almost always tied to success as a
mental illness.

Sometimes mental illness can lead to success. A lot of successful
people have had psychological problems.

And a lot more successful people didn't. It is the exception NOT the rule.

On Feb 7, 7:38 am, Ron Wanttaja wrote:
Historically, astronaut programs have absolutely loaded with monomaniacal,
driven personalities.

Ron, great post. Thanks. -Jay-