A former Air Force intelligence officer who sparked headlines over the first alleged “crime in space” has admitted she made the whole thing up. Summer Worden, 50, pleaded guilty last week to lying to federal agents after falsely accusing her estranged wife, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, 45, of illegally accessing her bank account while orbiting on the International Space Station in 2019, according to The New York Times. Worden claimed McClain had successfully guessed her password. The explosive claim triggered investigations by the Federal Trade Commission and NASA’s Inspector General. But prosecutors later said Worden had long provided McClain access to the account as part of their shared finances. Worden faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. She will be sentenced on Feb. 12, 2026. McClain made her way back to the International Space Station in March 2025 as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission. She returned to Earth in August.
Read it at The New York Times
