A years-long legal battle that involves one of NASA’s most decorated astronauts has taken a surprising turn.
Summer Heather Worden, the ex-wife of NASA astronaut Anne McClain, pleaded guilty to providing false information to law enforcement after accusing McClain of committing what was termed as the first crime in outer space.
Worden, who served as the U.S. Air Force intelligence officer from Sedgwick County, Kansas, was formally found guilty on November 13 by the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, the ruling came on November 18, 2025.
The allegations were leveled against him in 2019 while McClain was serving on a mission aboard the International Space Station, triggering a global media spotlight and launching federal investigations.
Prosecutors disclosed that Worden, 50, purposefully misled investigators when she alleged McClain had unlawfully accessed her bank account during the mission.
Worden bank records show that she had opened the account in April 2018 and changed the login passwords in January 2019.
Investigators also uncovered that Worden had herself provided access to her bank accounts in 2015, and the couple had freely accessed the account until Worden changed its credentials.
The investigation further confirmed no illegal activity occurred while McClain was aboard the ISS, brushing off Worden’s allegations.