An untrustworthy Democrat lesbian astronaut may have committed identity theft on the ISS, NASA is investigating

[Barack O'Cumswallower]

NASA astronaut Anne McClain was accused by her ex-wife for
identity theft.
The alleged crime was committed on the International Space
Station from a NASA computer.
Current legal channels exist to solve this dispute, but more
heinous or international space crimes are going to be harder to
reconcile.
It looks like the long arm of the law stretches as far as space.
Astronaut Anne McClain, 40, has became the first person to ever
be investigated for a crime that's alleged to have taken place
in space.

McClain is a NASA astronaut, the allegations against were put
forth by her ex-wife Summer Worden, who accused her of identity
theft because she accessed her bank account on a NASA computer.
It's claimed that the crime, according to Worden, was committed
while McClain was on a six-month mission on the International
Space Station.

While this crime might seem inane compared to something like
murder, it's opened up a lot of intrigue into the realm of space
law. As more countries and private companies start sending
people to space — the inevitability of future space crimes
(people are people, even in space) is almost guaranteed.

First space crime

Worden originally filed a complaint with the Federal Trade
Commission. According to The New York Times, investigators are
already looking into the situation. The accuser believes that
McClain accessed Worden's bank account while using NASA
technology, McClain acknowledges that she accessed the account,
but denies any unlawful intent. She claims that she was just
managing the couple's finances.

McClain was reportedly interviewed by NASA Inspector General
investigators recently.

Meanwhile, NASA has spoken publicly to praise McClain's
professional career, but declined to comment on the allegations.
According to a statement sent to Space.com, NASA representatives
stated:

"Lt. Col. Anne McClain has an accomplished military career, flew
combat missions in Iraq, and is one of NASA's top astronauts.
She did a great job on her most recent NASA mission aboard the
International Space Station. Like with all NASA employees, NASA
does not comment on personal or personnel matters."

While they may not be commenting on the matter publicly, the
issue is being held by American authorities. Since the legal
dispute is between two American citizens, this case ostensibly
falls under U.S. jurisdiction. The situation would have been
more complicated had it occurred with an international astronaut
in space.

This said, though this case may be cut and dry, in a sense,
future space crimes might be a little murkier.

Space law precedence
Currently, there is no detailed framework for international
space law nor is there anyway to handle criminal disputes that
arise on commercial space vessels. It gets even less defined
when it comes to disputes between individuals from separate
countries.

Our only outer space presence comes from the International Space
Station, which is currently governed under an international
treaty called the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on Space
Station Cooperation.

It stipulates that in the area of criminal jurisdiction, each
country on the ISS or involved with it has criminal jurisdiction
over their own people in space, as long as there isn't a
conflict between someone from another country. Pertaining to our
first space crime, both McClain and Worden are US citizens,
which clears up any potential legal issues that could stem from
this being in space.

"Canada, the European Partner States, Japan, Russia, and the
United States may exercise criminal jurisdiction over personnel
in or on any flight element who are their respective nationals."

In other areas of space, the law isn't as clear. Currently space
is governed by five major international treaties, colloquially
known as: the Outer Space Treaty, Moon Agreement, Registration
Convention, Rescue Agreement, and the Liability Convention.

The protocol for an incident on a commercial space station
between two differing nationals isn't really covered by any of
these treaties. The Outer Space Treaty, an agreement that was
made over 50 years ago between 109 governments, doesn't have
anything to say regarding this topic.

Except that jurisdiction and control over any commercial
companies or private entities emanating from the government of
origin is that government's responsibility.

The United States may be able to use a special provision of US
Code known as "special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of
the United States," which covers how to handle criminal disputes
outside of any country's jurisdiction. However, this law does
not cover all types of crimes.

More comprehensive international codes and legislation will need
to be drafted and thought up as space becomes increasingly more
populated.

https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/space-crime