KEY POINTS:
MIAMI - A former US astronaut who drove 950 miles to confront the girlfriend of her ex-lover pleaded not guilty today to attempted kidnap and battery charges.
Lisa Nowak, 43, is accused of trying to kidnap the woman, whom she viewed as a rival for the affections of Navy commander and astronaut William Oefelein, after driving from Houston to Orlando wearing diapers to avoid a bathroom stop.
Nowak, a Navy captain who became an astronaut in 1996 and flew a space shuttle mission last July, did not appear in person for her arraignment at Orange County courthouse in Orlando, Florida.
Her formal not guilty pleas were given in writing as Judge Marc Lubet set the trial date for July 30, court spokeswoman Karen Levey said in a statement.
Nasa fired Nowak from the astronaut corps a month after her arrest on February 6 for trying to pepper spray Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman in a parking lot at Orlando's international airport.
Nowak disguised herself in a wig and trench coat and followed Shipman to her parked car at Orlando airport, police said. She carried a bag that contained a BB gun, knife and a rubber hose, police said.
Police initially charged Nowak with attempted murder. But prosecutors dropped that charge and she is now accused of attempted kidnapping, burglary and battery with a weapon.
The incident stunned Nasa, prompting it to announce it would review its screening process for the highly competitive and prestigious astronaut program.
- REUTERS
