NASA Astronaut Who Spent 203 Days On ISS Accused Of Identity Theft

Ever heard of a space crime? Well, that's what NASA astronaut Anne McClain has been accused of. The astronaut who spent 203 days on the International Space Station (ISS), has been accused of extracting financial records of her spouse and theft of identity, reports the New York Times.

McClain is a lieutenant in the US Army and was the flight engineer for Expedition 58/59 to the ISS. She was also considered to be a part of the first all-female spacewalk. She allegedly accessed the bank account of Summer Worden during her time aboard the ISS.

The couple has been married since 2014. Worden filed for divorce just months ahead of McClain's six-month-long mission to the ISS. McClain, through her lawyer, admitted that she accessed the back account from the space station using the old password.

According to her lawyer (via Times), "she strenuously denies that she did anything improper." The move was made to ensure the care of Worden's son. Later Worden lodged a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission and NASA's Office of Inspector General.

There’s unequivocally no truth to these claims. We’ve been going through a painful, personal separation that’s now unfortunately in the media. I appreciate the outpouring of support and will reserve comment until after the investigation. I have total confidence in the IG process.

— Anne McClain (@AstroAnnimal) August 24, 2019

The investigation on the matter is still in progress. The astronaut also tweeted about the matter, rubbishing the claims saying there's "unequivocally no truth" and she has faith in the investigating team.

McClain was scheduled to perform the spacewalk in March with Christina Koch, however, the plan was scrapped due to lack of equipment and suitable spacesuits. NASA clarified at the time that the allegations against McClain have nothing to do with the decision over the spacewalk.