Kansas Woman Jailed For Falsely Accusing Estranged Astronaut Spouse Of Committing A Crime While On The Iss

A Kansas female has been sentenced to jailhouse clip aft prosecutors said she falsely accused her estranged spouse, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, of committing a crime while connected nan International Space Station.

Summer Heather Worden, a erstwhile Air Force intelligence officer, was sentenced Thursday to 3 months successful federal situation and 2 years of supervised release, according to nan U.S. Attorney’s Office for nan Southern District of Texas. The 51-year-old was besides ordered to salary $210,000 successful restitution.

This comes aft Worden pleaded guilty to lying to rule enforcement successful November.

The lawsuit stems from allegations Worden made against McClain successful July 2019. The tribunal heard grounds that Worden “falsely accused her erstwhile spouse of illegally accessing her slope relationship from nan International Space Station while nan mates was going done a divorce,” according to nan U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Investigators learned Worden “opened her slope relationship successful April 2018, and some parties accessed it until January 2019, erstwhile Worden changed nan relationship credentials,” nan agency said. They besides said Worden gave her woman entree to her slope records and login credentials arsenic early arsenic 2015.

“Even aft an soul investigation exonerated nan erstwhile spouse, Worden continued promoting nan mendacious declare to news outlets and hired a media advisor to amplify nan claim. The grounds further showed Worden publically released her erstwhile spouse’s individual information,” nan U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Worden was allowed to stay retired connected enslaved until her sentencing hearing. She’s now expected to “voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons installation to beryllium wished successful nan adjacent future,” prosecutors said.

McClain, 46, has maintained that she had support to entree Worden’s accounts, The New York Times reports.

In November, nan NASA astronaut said Worden “presented a communicative to national investigators and to nan media pinch nan volition of harm,” according to nan Times.

“From nan outset, location was nary grounds supporting her claims, and overwhelming grounds disproving them. As I proceed my nationalist service, I stay committed to nan values that person defined my profession and which held up nether nan closest scrutiny,” she added.

McClain joined NASA successful 2013. During her first spaceflight, she spent much than 200 days arsenic a formation technologist and completed 2 spacewalks.

Most recently, she commanded NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which launched successful March 2025. McClain served arsenic a formation technologist for 146 days and completed a astir six-hour spacewalk during that mission.

The Independent has contacted Worden’s lawyer and McClain for comment.