NASA to Review Psychological Testing of Astronauts

Feb. 8, 2007 — -- Taut-faced NASA managers, saying they were very concerned about astronaut Lisa Nowak, conceded they may need to watch the mental health of spaceflight veterans more aggressively -- and admitted they do not closely watch them once they've been admitted to the astronaut corps.

"This is a very difficult time for many people, and it is a very tragic event," said Shana Dale, NASA's Deputy Administrator.

"We think we're doing things very, very well in the agency, and astronauts are incredible performers," she said. "We just want to see if there are any areas that need improvement along the way."

Astronauts do undergo rigorous psychological tests before they can join the agency, said agency managers, but afterwards, they admitted, an astronaut does not routinely get anything other than a regular annual checkup.

Dale said there had been "no indications of concern with Lisa" before Monday, when she was arrested in Florida, allegedly for trying to kill or kidnap a woman she perceived as her competitor for the affections of a fellow astronaut, William Oefelein.

"We're trained to look for behavioral issues, to be concerned about the family's well-being, spouses and other dependents," said Dr. Jeff Davis, who heads medical services at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

"There is not a structured test given on an annual evaluation, but there is this very thorough annual medical evaluation by a trained aerospace medicine physician, who can make referrals to any discipline."

Dale also said "there is no specific psychological examination for a shuttle flight," though astronauts who spend months in orbit on the International Space Station do get psychological evaluations before and after flight.

Beyond that, Dale and her colleagues refused to comment on Nowak's case.

In an interview with ABC News, psychoanalyst Bethany Marshall said mental illness might have driven Nowak to self-destruction.