NASA Astronaut’s Ex-Wife Pleads Guilty After Alleging First-Ever Crime in Space
A former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, Summer Heather Worden, pleaded guilty to lying to law enforcement after falsely accusing her ex-wife, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, of illegally accessing her bank account from the International Space Station in 2019. Worden’s claim, which would have been the first crime committed in space, was proven untrue. Investigations revealed that Worden had opened the account and shared access wiht McClain until she changed the credentials in 2019. Worden and McClain, who were married in 2014 and divorced in 2020, had a contentious relationship marked by divorce and custody disputes. McClain has consistently maintained her innocence. Worden faces up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 fine. The case was investigated by the NASA Office of Inspector General.
A former Air Force intelligence officer has pleaded guilty to lying to law enforcement after she had previously claimed that her ex-spouse had committed a crime in space.
According to People magazine, Summer Heather Worden, the ex-wife of NASA astronaut Anne McClain, had previously accused McClain of correctly guessing her bank account password.
Worden said McClain “illegally accessed” that bank account while aboard the International Space Station in 2019.
Had these allegations been true, it would’ve been a first-of-its-kind crime: One that has taken place in space.
But it doesn’t appear that those allegations were true — at all.
“Worden had actually opened the account in April 2018. Both parties had accessed it until January 2019 when Worden changed the credentials,” the U.S. District Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas announced Friday.
The DA’s office added: “The investigation revealed Worden had granted her spouse access to her bank records from at least 2015, including her login credentials.”
JUST IN: Woman who accused her wife of committing the first crime in space pleads guilty after admitting to making it all up.
Summer Worden claimed in 2019 that her wife, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, tried illegally accessing her bank account from space.
At the time, McClain… pic.twitter.com/df2k11hGYy
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 18, 2025
According to the New York Post, McClain has maintained her innocence throughout this entire ordeal.
People magazine reported that Worden and McClain were married in 2014. Their divorce was finalized in 2020.
Worden had actually filed for divorce in 2018, after McClain had accused her of assault.
(The assault case was eventually dismissed.)
The 50-year-old Worden and 46-year-old McClain were also reportedly locked in bitter divorce proceedings, specifically regarding the custody of their son, who was 6 years old in 2018.
Both women appear to have had distinguished careers. Worden is a former Air Force intelligence officer.
McClain, meanwhile, is a West Point grad who has served in Iraq. She joined NASA in 2013, and was most recently a SpaceX mission commander for the organization.
The NASA-Office of Inspector General conducted this investigation, according to the DA’s office.
U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett has already accepted the plea. Worden will be sentenced on Feb. 12.
Worden is facing up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
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