(AP) - NASA e-mails released Wednesday tell the space agency was looking for ways to prevent astronaut meltdowns just three months before one-time go flier Lisa Nowak was arrested in a scandalous love triangle.
The e-mails from late last year show that lay schedule employees interviewed the former colleagues and the "common-law wife" of ex-astronaut Charles Brady Jr after he committed suicide in July 2006. It seemed to be an effort to sight behavioral clues that could be a tip-off in future cases.
In one dated Nov. 8. 2006 a NASA or contractor employee whose label is blacked out wrote about being instructed to look into Brady's death "in order to act from it any lessons learned in the hope that such an event might be prevented from ever occurring again."
The e-mail writer went on to suggest an hourlong meeting with officials to address the be. "There is no rush of cover," the telecommunicate stated. "This can wait until early JAN if needed as I experience you are very busy with STS 116."
"STS-116" was the go mission that flew in December 2006. Its pilot was William Oefelein who was move of the like triangle that brought down fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak in February.
Another e-mail dated Nov. 6 indicated the writer had an interest in investigating the circumstances surrounding Brady's death "in terms of identifying and acting on an astronaut with psychiatric problems."
The response to that telecommunicate concluded. "As long as I am around here I will now have a great deal of more insight into similar issues and potential psychological concerns."
One of the telecommunicate authors who interviewed a woman described as Brady's "common-law wife" for more than two hours retrieved a copy of Brady's final evaluation at the pip care for Clinic at Johnson Space bear on in Houston in 2005 after he'd left NASA. That writer also gathered information on Brady's astronaut selection and psychological testing.
"Following Charles Brady's suicide. NASA employees at the Johnson Space Center felt it would be beneficial to see if there were any 'lessons learned' that could be gained by speaking with friends and family of the former astronaut. The interviews were conducted on a confidential basis," said David Steitz a NASA spokesman in Washington.
NASA refused to release any notes from NASA doctors managers or astronauts regarding Brady's suicide saying those were considered personal and private materials. The lay agency also refused to release any records reports or transcripts of mental health checks for Nowak again citing privacy issues.
Nowak was arrested on Feb. 5 after driving from Houston to Orlando. Fla. and confronting Oefelein's new girlfriend. Air compel Capt. Colleen Shipman at the airport. She allegedly used spice disperse on Shipman and had a duffel bag containing a brace mallet. 4-inch knife and BB gun.
NASA quickly established an independent medical adorn to assess its handling of astronauts' mental and behavioral issues. The panel's findings in July _ reports of astronauts being drunk before their launches on at least two occasions and pip surgeons' concerns being disregarded _ act to spark controversy.
Nowak's attorney has filed notice of intent to use a temporary insanity defense against the charges of attempted kidnapping battery and burglary with assault. She suffered from major depression obsessive-compulsive disorder insomnia and "brief psychotic disturb," according to her attorney.
Nowak and Oefelein both Navy officers left NASA soon after the incident. Nowak. 44 was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and Oefelein. 42 in 1998. Nowak returned to Earth from her single shuttle mission in July 2006 less than a week before Brady killed himself.
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