training for space is the four-year-old I have to leave behind every time I walk out the door,” she wrote at
the time.
The social media attention angered Ms Worden further, as she did not want Ms McClain to claim to be the
mother of the child. Later in 2018, Ms Worden filed for divorce after Ms McClain accused her of assault –
something Ms Worden denies and said she believed was part of Ms McClain’s bid to get control of the
child. The assault case was later dismissed.
Despite the turmoil, Ms McClain portrayed no outward signs of trouble on the space station. An acclaimed
leader with a decorated past, Ms McClain is a West Point graduate who became a commissioned army
officer and flew more than 800 combat hours in Operation Iraqi Freedom before joining Nasa in 2013. She
remains a lieutenant colonel in the army, and the Stars and Stripes military newspaper reported this week
that she is on a list of candidates Nasa is considering to be the first woman on the moon.
In the days after Ms McClain’s email to Ms Worden, the latter filed a complaint with the FTC, accusing Ms
McClain of committing identity theft — though she saw no sign that anyone had moved or made use of the
funds in the account. Ms McClain, meanwhile, was gaining national attention for another reason.
Nasa was promoting the coming milestone of an all-female spacewalk, with Ms McClain set to do work
outside the space station with fellow astronaut Christina Koch. But in a sudden switch a few days before the
spacewalk, Nasa scrapped Ms McCain’s role, explaining that there were not enough suits available in the
two women’s size.
Saturday Night Live skewered the agency, with actor Aidy Bryant portraying a disappointed Ms McClain
with her dreams crushed by poor Nasa planning. A Nasa spokeswoman, Megan Sumner, said the decision
about the spacewalk was not influenced by any allegations about Ms McClain. Ms Sumner declined to
comment about the other issues raised by Ms Worden.
© New York Times