HOUSTON -- An astronaut accused of attempting to murder a woman competing for another astronaut's affections was spotted in public Friday.

KPRC Local 2 cameras caught Lisa Nowak, 43, returning to her Clear Lake home from her daily evaluation at the Johnson Space Center.

Fellow astronaut Stephen Bowen accompanied her.

Nowak's parents remained at the home for most of the day and left only to do some grocery shopping.

Nowak is accused of attacking Air Force Capt. Colleen Shipman in Orlando on Monday after driving 900 miles from Houston wearing an adult diaper.

Nowak was charged with attempted kidnapping and attempted murder after Orlando police found a pellet gun, a steel mallet, a knife and garbage bags in her vehicle.

Investigators said Nowak saw Shipman as a rival to her relationship with astronaut Bill Oefelein.

NASA confirmed Friday that Oefelein has taken some time off after asking for a week's leave on Monday.

"As to his whereabouts, NASA really doesn't track where its employees go on vacation. And, so, we don't have an official monitoring of that, so I can't tell you where he is," said James Hartsfield, a NASA spokesman. "He's on vacation. He's taking vacation time for this week, at least. Of course, he could always ask for more if he wanted."

An Italian restaurant in Cocoa Beach, Fla., plans to hold a fundraiser for Nowak this weekend because she was the first Italian-American woman in space.