A woman has pleaded guilty to falsely reporting that her ex-astronaut wife had committed a crime while on a flight to the International Space Station.
Summer Heather Worden, 50, told law enforcement in July 2019 that her ex-husband illegally accessed her bank account earlier that year while she was in space, according to press release from the Ministry of Justice. Her wife, previously identified as an astronaut Anne McClainwas on the ISS from December 2018 to June 2019. This was the first allegation of a crime being committed in space.
An investigation by NASA's Office of Inspector General found that Worden opened the bank account in April 2018 and that both she and McClain had access to it until January 2019, according to the Justice Department. The investigation also determined that Worden had regularly provided McClain with access to her banking information, including login credentials, since at least 2015, the release said.
In 2019, McClain said she gained access to the bank account with Worden's permission. The New York Times reported this.. Worden, a former Air Force intelligence officer, disputed that claim and filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. A complaint filed with NASA's Office of Inspector General by Worden's family accuses McClain of identity theft and unauthorized access.
McClain denied the accusations on social networks and said that she and Warden “have gone through a painful personal separation, which is unfortunately being reported in the media now.”
Worden pleaded guilty Nov. 13 to one count of lying to law enforcement. She will be sentenced in February 2026. Warden faces up to 5 years in federal prison, as well as a maximum possible fine of $250,000, and remains free on bond pending a hearing.
McClain returned to the International Space Station in 2025. She participated in a spacewalk during the mission, years after she was scheduled to take part in NASA's first all-female spacewalk. delayed at the last minute because after she asked for a size change, there weren't enough suits in stock. The first all-female spacewalk was performed by Christina Koch and Jessica Meir.
