Astronaut’s Wife Admits to Lying About Spouse Committing First Crime in Space on 3-Month Mission By Madison E. Goldberg

Summer Heather Worden, the ex-wife of NASA astronaut Anne McClain, pleaded guilty to lying to law enforcement after she previously accused McClain of committing the first crime in outer space.

Worden, a former U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, entered her guilty plea on Nov. 13, the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas announced on Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Worden, 50, a resident of Sedgwick County, Kan., claimed McClain guest the password for her bank account and “illegally accessed” it while she was in the International Space Station in July 2019, federal prosecutors say.

“However, Worden had actually opened the account in April 2018. Both parties had accessed it until January 2019 when Worden changed the credentials. The investigation revealed Worden had granted her spouse access to her bank records from at least 2015, including her login credentials,” the release from the DA’s office continued.

McClain, 46, and Worden were married from 2014 to 2019. McClain, 46, a West Point graduate who served in Iraq, joined NASA in 2013, The New York Times reports. She most recently served as commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which began in March, and saw her return to Earth in August, according to the outlet.

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Worden’s allegations sparked an investigation from NASA’s inspector general and the Federal Trade Commission. Worden filed for divorce in 2018 after McClain accused her of assault. The assault case was dismissed, according to local Missouri NBC affiliate KSDK.

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The claims came amid the former couple’s bitter divorce proceedings and a custody battle regarding their son, who was six years old in 2018. Their divorce was finalized in 2020, KSDK reports.

U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett has scheduled Worden’s sentencing for Feb. 12, 2026. Worden is facing up to five years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine. She is permitted to remain on bond until sentencing, federal prosecutors said.