Ex-Astronaut Lisa Nowak Pleads Not Guilty

Former astronaut Lisa Nowak's attorneys formally entered a not guilty plea Thursday to charges that she tried to kidnap a rival for a space shuttle pilot's affections.

Nowak, a 43-year-old Navy captain and mother of three, did not appear at the brief arraignment. Her lawyers had already entered a written not guilty plea.

Nowak was arrested Feb. 5 after police say she drove from Houston to Florida to confront Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman in an Orlando airport parking lot and then pepper-sprayed her. Shipman, who was dating astronaut Bill Oefelein, was able to get away.

Police reported finding a BB gun, steel mallet, knife and rubber tubing in Nowak's car.

Nowak's trial on charges of attempted kidnapping, burglary with assault and battery is scheduled to begin July 30.

NASA fired Nowak about a month after her arrest, and the Navy said she would be transferred. She is free on bail.

In her new military assignment, Nowak will develop flight lesson plans and work on developing curriculum and training programs when she joins the staff of the Chief of Naval Air Training Command in Corpus Christi, Texas, next month, said a Navy spokesman, Lt. Sean Robertson.