Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/article/3024236/first-crime-space-allegations-surface-nasa-astronaut-accessed-estranged
World

The first crime in space? Allegations surface Nasa astronaut ‘accessed estranged ex-partner’s bank account from International Space Station’

  • Astronaut Anne McClain, who has since returned to Earth, acknowledged she accessed the account while in orbit but has denied any wrongdoing
A view from the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft carrying Russian anthropomorphous robot Fedor (Skybot F-850) during an unsuccessful docking manoeuvre with the International Space Station (ISS). Photo: EPA-EFE/ROSCOSMOS

Nasa is investigating a claim that an astronaut accessed the bank account of her estranged partner while she was living on the International Space Station (ISS).

The case appears to be the first allegation of a crime committed in low Earth orbit, according to The New York Times.

Anne McClain acknowledged she accessed the account while she was on-board the ISS but has denied any wrongdoing. Through a lawyer she has insisted she was shepherding the couple’s still-intertwined finances.

McClain has since returned to Earth after completing her six-month mission.

Her estranged spouse, Summer Worden, is said to have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. According to Worden, her bank account was accessed without her permission from a Nasa-affiliated computer network. A family member also filed a complaint with Nasa’s internal office of inspector general and has accused McClain of identity theft and improper access to Worden’s private financial records, according to the newspaper.

The Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft as it lands with Expedition 59 crew members Anne McClain of Nasa, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency, and Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos on June 25, 2019. Photo: Nasa
The Soyuz MS-11 spacecraft as it lands with Expedition 59 crew members Anne McClain of Nasa, David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency, and Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos on June 25, 2019. Photo: Nasa

Before their separation, McClain had been helping to raise Worden’s young son from a previous relationship and provided financial support. Her lawyer said she accessed the bank account because she was making sure that the family’s finances were in order and there was enough money to pay bills and care for Worden’s son. She was unaware Worden had requested she no longer access the account.

“She strenuously denies that she did anything improper,” said her lawyer, Rusty Hardin, adding that McClain was “totally cooperating.

McClain successfully launched on a Soyuz rocket to the ISS on December 3, 2018 and performed her first spacewalk with fellow astronaut Nick Hague in March. She was expected to perform a second extravehicular activity on March 29 with Christina Koch, which would have been the first all-female spacewalk but spacesuit sizing issues resulted in this EVA being cancelled. McClain returned to Earth on June 24.

The five space agencies which are involved in building and running the space station – the US, Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada – have established procedures to handle legal issues that arise when astronauts are orbiting Earth.

However, Mark Sundahl, the director of the Global Space Law Centre at Cleveland State University, said he was not aware of any previous allegation of a crime committed in space. Nasa officials said it was also unaware of any crimes committed on the space station.