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Russian cosmonaut plans first space wedding
Houston, July 18: International Space Station commander Yuri Malenchenko won`t be standing next to his bride when he marries next month, he`ll be orbiting 240 miles above the Earth.
Houston, July 18: International Space Station commander Yuri Malenchenko won't be standing next to his bride when he marries next month, he'll be orbiting 240 miles above the Earth.
In what could be the first space wedding, Malenchenko and Ekaterina Dmitritv will wed either by phone or proxy, his bride-to-be told reporters on Thursday after getting a marriage license in a Houston suburb.
"To me it's very exciting. I'm kind of used to doing things out of the norm, outside the box. He adapted to it and he loved the idea," Dmitritv, 26, said.
Dmitritv said Malenchenko proposed to her in December, then took off for the space station in April. Now, he does not want to wait for his return from space in late October to marry.
NASA spokesman Rob Navias told Reuters a wedding by phone may not be possible because Malenchenko, 41, had assured officials that no space station resources would be used for the event.
If not, then Texas law permits a stand-in to take the bride or groom's place in the ceremony if they have a legitimate excuse.
Bureau Report
"To me it's very exciting. I'm kind of used to doing things out of the norm, outside the box. He adapted to it and he loved the idea," Dmitritv, 26, said.
Dmitritv said Malenchenko proposed to her in December, then took off for the space station in April. Now, he does not want to wait for his return from space in late October to marry.
NASA spokesman Rob Navias told Reuters a wedding by phone may not be possible because Malenchenko, 41, had assured officials that no space station resources would be used for the event.
If not, then Texas law permits a stand-in to take the bride or groom's place in the ceremony if they have a legitimate excuse.
Bureau Report