Space Wedding

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/11/national/11WEDD.html

Cosmonaut Weds in Space
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON, Aug. 10 (AP) - The bride blew the groom a kiss. He blew one back - from
240 miles in space.

The groom, the Russian astronaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, did not let living aboard
the International Space Station stop him from marrying Ekaterina Dmitriev, the
earthbound bride, in the first wedding conducted for someone in space.

They were married today at Johnson Space Center. Colonel Malenchenko, 41, took
part via video.

The honeymoon must wait until he returns to Earth in late October.

"As Yuri was further away, he was closer to me because of the communication we
have," said Ms. Dmitriev, 27, of Houston.

Aug. 11, 2003, 12:31AM
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/space/2041210
Houstonian marries her stellar beau
By RICHARD STEWART
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle
It was an out-of-this-world wedding.

When a Texas justice of the peace pronounced Yuri Malenchenko and Ekaterina
Dmitriev man and wife Sunday, they had to blow each other long-distance kisses.
Very long distance.

The bride, judge and about 200 guests were at a NASA meeting room at the Johnson
Space Center. The groom and best man were 240 miles above Earth, zooming
somewhere over New Zealand in the international space station.

"He was near where we will have our honeymoon," Dmitriev said, beaming in her
white, sleeveless gown at the reception at the Villa Capri restaurant, golden
stars twinkling in her dark hair. They plan to honeymoon in Australia after Oct.
28, when Malenchenko is scheduled to land in Kazakhstan.

The separation does not hurt their relationship, she said.

"As Yuri is the furthest away, we are the closest because of the communication
we have," she said. "It was a celestial, soulful connection that we have."

Dmitriev, who turned 27 Friday, was born in Russia but moved to the United
States when she was 3 and is now a U.S. citizen. She lives in Houston but plans
to move to Moscow to be with her new husband while he continues his space
career. She plans to open a vitamin store.

"I love Russia," she said, "It's a beautiful country."

She first met Malenchenko, now 41, five years ago but fell in love with him when
she met him again at a local night spot on April 12, 2002. The club was
celebrating Yuri Gagarin night, in honor of Gagarin becoming the first man in
space on April 12, 1961. Malenchenko was named for Gagarin.

"We fell in love right away," she said. "I moved in with him two days later."

Then Malenchenko's training took him back to Russia. Then, as now, the two
talked every day by telephone. During one of the conversations, he
matter-of-factly suggested they get married.

"I said, `Yes! Of course I will,' " she said.

There was no time to have the wedding before he blasted into space in April for
a six-month tour on the international space station, and the couple decided not
to wait until his return.

Texas law allows one -- or even both -- of a couple to be absent from the
ceremony as long as the proper affidavits are filed, said Fort Bend County Clerk
Dianne Wilson, who issued the marriage license. Most proxy marriages come when
one of the couple is in the military or in prison.

"We were excited to be part of this historic occasion," Wilson said.

The wedding is Dmitriev's first and Malenchenko's second. Malenchenko, who is
divorced, has an 18-year-old son.

The NASA hall was made up to look like a wedding chapel, said wedding planner Jo
Ann Woodward. Harry Noe, a family friend, stood in for Malenchenko during the
ceremony as Clear Lake Justice of the Peace William Yeoman officiated. The
cosmonaut and American astronaut Edward Lu appeared on a huge video screen in
front of the wedding party.

Malenchenko and Lu wore their standard fare blue-gray flight suits, augmented
with bow ties and cumberbunds.

As the bride marched up the aisle, Lu played the wedding march on a keyboard he
took aboard the space station.

"I almost started to cry," Dmitriev said.

The bride and groom each placed their rings on their own fingers.

The groom and best man had to make do with the standard fare of the space
station. The rest of the wedding party had delicacies like smoked salmon,
borscht, zakouska and karavai, a special wedding bread.

Malenchenko and Lu were there in spirit, represented by life-size cardboard
cutouts of themselves. The room was decorated with stars and statues of spacemen
overhead.

"I've known Yuri and Kat for a long time," said restaurateur Frankie Camera.
"They are very sweet people. They will have a good and happy long life together.
We have a lot of weddings here, and they are all happy marriages."

The bride's father wasn't exactly thrilled when he learned of the plans.

"When I first heard about this, I thought she was crazy," said Victor Dmitriev,
who teaches Russian literature and culture at Oklahoma State University. "I
said, `No! No! No!'

"Then I saw all the support they were getting from their friends and the people
at NASA, and I thought it would be all right," he said. "It was a beautiful
wedding, and I am very happy."

"I have another daughter," the elder Dmitriev added, "and I hope when it comes
her time to marry it will be something simpler."

The space wedding got a cool reception from Malenchenko's superiors at the
Russian space agency. As a colonel in the Russian Air Force, he was supposed to
have prior permission to marry an American. Officials also frowned because the
nuptials were not part of the official flight plan of the space station and
cosmonauts are not encouraged to partake in things that aren't on the official
agenda.

In the end, Ekaterina Dmitriev said, Russian officials allowed the marriage but
said it won't be official in Russia.

The couple plan a religious wedding in Russia in June.

"I want it to be when people can get there and it's not so cold," Dmitriev said.
-------
Nanes & Faces column in the Washington Post:
He Needs His Space. She Obliges.

Yuri Malenchenko wanted his wedding to be out of this world. And it was . . .
literally. The 41-year-old Russian cosmonaut, circling 240 miles above Earth on
the International Space Station, married Ekaterina Dmitriev yesterday by
satellite. Dmitriev was at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston in the first
wedding of this kind.

Peering into each other's eyes via video hookup, the two exchanged vows before
200 people in a ceremony that ended with Dmitriev blowing her new husband a
long-distance kiss.

Dmitriev, 26, dressed in a traditional white wedding dress, told reporters she
was very happy even though she will not see Malenchenko until he returns in late
October or early November.

"It was cool -- it went straight to the heart," she said, standing next to a
life-size cutout of Malenchenko that was to be his stand-in at a space-themed
reception.

Friend Harry Noe stood in as the groom's proxy, permitted under Texas law, and
gave the bride her ring. Simultaneously, Malenchenko, who wore a bow tie with
his flight suit, slipped on the ring his bride had shipped to the space station.
The two plan to honeymoon in Australia after Malenchenko's return, followed by a
traditional religious wedding in Russia next June.
-------
Christian Science Monitor
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0808/p01s03-ussc.html

A wedding that's (partly) out of this world [Dmitriev
picture]
By Kris Axtman

HOUSTON - The flowers have been selected, the food has been ordered, and the
band has been booked. It's going to be an out-of-this-world affair. Literally.

This Sunday, while orbiting 240 miles above her, Russian cosmonaut Yuri
Malenchenko will exchange marriage vows with Ekaterina Dmitriev, who will remain
firmly on Earth.

The heavenly event not only makes history, it marks what will surely be the
first of many such events as humans continue to explore the cosmos. Prompted by
the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster - a solemn reminder of the risks involved in
such exploration - it's reminiscent of the slew of weddings that occurred before
soldiers shipped off to fight in World War II.

Colonel Malenchenko popped the question before leaving for the International
Space Station in April to replace the lost Columbia crew. The couple had
initially decided to get married when he returned to Earth in late October, but
the more they thought about the Columbia disaster, say friends, the more they
couldn't wait.

"Columbia reminded them that life happens, and it doesn't wait for us or our
plans," says Jo Ann Schwartz Woodward, the couple's Houston- based wedding
planner.

Texas law allows weddings in which one of the parties is not present. It's
called a proxy wedding and is also legal in Colorado and Montana. Texas is also
one of the few states in which both parties don't have to be present to obtain a
marriage license.

News of the historic event spread fast, and dozens of reporters were waiting for
Ms. Dmitriev when she arrived at the Fort Bend County Clerk's office to obtain a
license several weeks ago. "Of course, it's always exciting for a bride to come
in and get a marriage license," says county clerk Dianne Wilson, who helped
decorate the office in red, white, and blue to honor both the American and
Russian flags. "The only difference this time was the groom was not on Earth."

Malenchenko will attend the wedding via satellite uplink from his post on the
International Space Station. He received a tuxedo and wedding ring from a cargo
ship that arrived at the station in June, and his counterpart, American
astronaut Edward Lu, will act as best man and play the wedding march on the
keyboard he brought onboard. In case communications break down, a family friend
will be at the actual ceremony to stand in as the proxy groom.

Dmitriev was born in Russia and moved to the Houston area when she was 3-1/2
years old. She received her US citizenship in 1995. Her father is a professor of
Russian language at Oklahoma State University and her mother works at NASA.
Dmitriev first met Malenchenko five years ago at a social gathering in Houston,
and the two started dating in 2002. She will be returning to Russia to live with
him when he returns. Since Russia does not recognize proxy weddings, they are
planning a Russian Orthodox wedding once home.

Malenchenko's superiors were not delighted to hear of his pending wedding. As a
military officer, he is considered the holder of state secrets and cannot marry
a foreigner without getting special permission (Dmitriev received her US
citizenship in 1995). He did no such thing, and is going ahead with the wedding
despite advice to wait until he returns to earth. NASA has remained quiet,
calling it a private matter, and eventually agreed to let the couple hold the
ceremony at the Johnson Space Center. The reception will take place at a nearby
hotel.

Many of the wedding details, such as who the bride will have her first dance
with and what her dress looks like, have been kept secret. But the space-based
groom has taken an active role in the planning, says Ms. Schwartz Woodward. He's
been helping choose floral arrangements, the dinner menu (a Russian feast), and
his bride's reception dress via e-mail and occasional telephone calls.

"It's going to be a very traditional wedding in a very untraditional situation,"
says Schwartz Woodward.

Blimey, who rattled this writers cage?

I somehow doubt that the guy up there cares what the Russian Space Agency
thinks or about approval from so called officialdom, What they gonna do
tohim, throw him in jail?

Brian

--
Brian Gaff....
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
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Blimey, who rattled this writers cage?

I somehow doubt that the guy up there cares what the Russian Space Agency
thinks or about approval from so called officialdom, What they gonna do
tohim, throw him in jail?

Worst case is they could possibly keep Malenchenko from flying again, but
considering he's got a solid number of flights under his belt (3) he might not
even care about that. I suppose the Russian Air Force could reprimand him as
well...

-A.L.

(Steve Dufour) wrote in message . com...
NASA should call on Hollywood

speaking from the AFAB group, your post makes you the odds and money
favorite for Lame Poast Of The Weak Award.

NASA should call on Hollywood

speaking from the AFAB group, your post makes you the odds and money
favorite for Lame Poast Of The Weak Award.

Cool. Just be sure you spell my name right. :-)

The wedding did not take place in space, it took place (legally) in
Texas. This is nothing more than the latest in long distance
marriages by proxy.

D.
--
The STS-107 Columbia Loss FAQ can be found
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Corrections, comments, and additions should be
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