Why Was Oefelein Fired From NASA?
NASA has no rules against adultery nor fraternizing with coworkers. If his affair with Nowak was a concern for NASA why wasn't he fired when she was? He was kept on the shuttle crew and still eligible for flight status, collecting flight pay for another three months. NASA's IG inspection must have turned up information on him that justified his firing, other than his affair with Nowak.
Reading the e-mails between Oefelein and Shipman in one he tells her "Please don't lose faith in your Space program. There is a lot of smart people here. You just chose to hang around one of the low hanging fruits". By that, I wonder if she was trying to get into the astronaut program and using her contact with him for that end. Just a guess. If he was helping her in that direction that alone would get him fired. That would also get them both court-martialed. Maybe not if both were the same rank but he is a senior officer and she is a junior officer. It doesn't sound like NASA has any rules on behavior other than something like that. I can understand why they fired Nowak but not Oefelein. It would have to be something found on him during the NASA IG inspection. Navy regulations and rules are a completely different story but NASA fired him not the Navy. I'm sure when the Navy is finished with him there won't be much left for him to brag about. Feel sorry for both him and Nowak, so many years of training to end up like this.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
