Lisa Nowak Makes First Public Statement Following Alleged Cosmic Love Triangle Assault

A former U.S. astronaut caught in a bizarre love triangle made her first, and what she said would be last, public statement Friday following a court hearing that pitted her against her romantic rival.

Lisa Nowak apologized to Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman, the woman she is accused of attacking, and then thanked her friends, family and co-workers for their support following a pretrial hearing that had Nowak testifying along with Shipman and the detective who found dirty diapers in the astronaut's car.

"I do not see any possible way that additional exposure can help anyone involved," Nowak said. "Therefore at this time, I have no plans to further discuss this unfortunate episode in a public forum."

Nowak said that she was surprised by the outpouring of support, including hundreds of letters, which had "come shining through at this cloudy time."

“Even though life may change suddenly and drastically there can be a lot of good yet to be accomplished," she said. "I don’t know yet how do that or if the final outcome of this case will allow it."

Her statements capped a long day in court, where her lawyer, Donald Lykkebak, asked Circuit Court Judge Marc L. Lubet to allow Nowak to remove her GPS ankle monitoring bracelet and suppress a five-hour police interview and evidence collected from the former astronaut's BMW.

Nowak has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault in connection with the Feb. 5 incident.

In testimony, Det. William C. Becton, an Orlando police officer, detailed the items he found in Nowak's BMW, including maps, a sleeping bag, baby diapers, empty packages for a knife and pepper spray, as well as a garbage bag containing three dirty diapers.

"She said that she used the diapers in order to pee so she didn't have to make as many stops," he told the judge. Lykkebak said it was not true and that baby diapers found in the trunk of the BMW had been left there after a hurricane evacuation.

Lykkebak contends police searched Nowak's car without her permission or a warrant. He said in additional court filings that she gave the interview under duress — after being held for three hours, deprived of sleep and a phone call and unadvised of her constitutional rights. The interview persisted, Lykkebak said, despite Nowak saying "Should I have a lawyer?" three times.

Becton interviewed Nowak after her arrest and said it was the toughest of his career. "I felt like I was playing a game of chess," he said.

He testified that he informed Nowak of her rights. He said she never asked for an attorney but did ask him four times if he thought she needed one.

"She was very calculating and methodical in the manner and the way she would answer my questions," Becton said "There were times where part of the interview she would actually use information that she had as a bargaining chip."

Becton said Nowak's focus during the course of the interview was her romantic rival.

"Throughout the course of the interview she was inquiring about the victim Colleen Shipman, and what the victim Colleen Shipman knew about the incident and knew about her."

Nowak had told the detectives that she and Shipman were vying for the affection of the same space shuttle pilot Bill Oefelein and that she confronted Shipman in an Orlando International Airport parking lot because she wanted to know "where she stands."

She is accused of attacking Shipman with pepper spray and trying to jump into her vehicle. Police say Nowak also had a duffel bag with a steel mallet, 4-inch knife and a BB gun.

At the hearing, Nowak promised to stay away from Shipman if the bracelet was removed.

"I will abide by all the court orders that went along with wearing the unit and any additional ones that they wish to put on," said Nowak, who seeks to have the device removed, saying it interferes with driving and exercising.

But Shipman said she was afraid of Nowak.

"When I'm home alone and there's nobody there with me, it is a comfort," Shipman said. She also acknowledged, however, that she had visited her boyfriend in Nowak's hometown of Houston several times since Nowak's arrest. She didn't say if that boyfriend was the same shuttle pilot.

Nowak has been wearing the bracelet since Feb. 6, the day after her arrest. She told Lubet the bracelet cuts her ankle and gets in the way of her military boots.

During questioning about the monitoring bracelet, Nowak said it interferes with her ability to exercise — a requirement for a Navy officer, and inhibits her ability to drive.

"I can do weights. I don't have other suitable aerobic exercises," Nowak said. "There's no specific exercise required, but staying shape is a requirement of the military."

Nowak also said she has to change the batteries every 12-15 hours — at least twice a day. She pays for the bracelet, which costs $105 a week and about $3,000 so far.

Assistant state attorney Pamela Davis suggested Nowak could do other exercises, and has been able to bathe despite the inconvenience.

Kepler Funk, an attorney for Shipman, called the bracelet the most important condition of Nowak's freedom.

"She is scared of Ms. Nowak," Funk said of his client. "Right now there is probable cause to believe Ms. Nowak committed a crime against Ms. Shipman that's punishable by life in prison. ... The only comfort she's had for the past six months is knowing that someone has been monitoring Ms. Nowak's every move."

FOXNews.com's Sara Bonisteel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.