Published 09:34 IST, August 25th 2019
NASA to probe first alleged space crime, netizens unleash their puns
NASA is reported to be investigating a claim that an astronaut accessed the bank account of her estranged spouse from ISS, making it a first 'space crime.'
In what may be perceived as the first crime committed in outer space, NASA is reported to be investigating a claim that an astronaut accessed the bank account of her estranged spouse from ISS.
Astronaut Anne McClain was accused of identity theft and improperly accessing her estranged wife's private financial records while on a sixth-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The astronaut's spouse Summer Worden filed a complaint earlier this year with the Federal Trade Commission after learning McClain had accessed her bank account without permission, while Worden's family filed another with NASA's Office of Inspector General, according to the newspaper.
McClain's lawyer said the astronaut had done nothing wrong and accessed the bank records while aboard the ISS in order to monitor the couple's combined finances something she had done over the course of their relationship, the Times reported. NASA investigators have contacted both women, according to the newspaper.
McClain, who returned to Earth in June, gained fame for being one of two women picked for a historic all-female spacewalk, but NASA scrapped the planned walk in March due to a lack of well-fitting spacesuits, sparking accusations of sexism. Worden said the FTC has not responded to the identity theft report, but that an investigator specializing in criminal cases with NASA's Office of Inspector General has been looking into the accusation, according to the Times.
While probe into the matter is still underway, netizens can't get enough and have been flooding Twitter with hilarious puns,
I really hope *she Apollo-gises for this
— Jo (@JoJoFromJerz) August 24, 2019
Updated 10:38 IST, August 25th 2019