The First Space Marriage

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The First Space Marriage

• A PowerPoint presentation
• By
• Tia M. Kemp

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Ekaterina Dmitriev Yuri Malenchenko
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Slide Show Contents

• Whos getting married?
• Why are they doing it like this?
• How will it happen?
• Is it legal?
• When will it happen?
• Are there any technicalities?
• What will happen after the wedding?
• What do other people think?

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Whos Getting Married?

• Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko The Groom
• - Born December 22nd, 1961 in the Ukraine.
• - Russian Air Force colonel
• - Is currently aboard the International Space
• Station as the Expedition 7 commander
  (flying
• 240 miles over the Pacific Ocean!)

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Yuri Malenchenko
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Whos Getting Married?

• Ekaterina Dmitriev The Bride
• - Born in Russia, moved to US when she was
  
• 3 years old.
• - Lives in Houston, Texas
• - Works for personnel department of a
• Houston company.

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Why Do It Like This?

• The groom and bride are very far away from each
  other.
• Became engaged in December
• - Malenchenko had to prepare for mission,
• no time to plan proper wedding
• - Dont want to wait until October (when he
• returns) to exchange vows.

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How Will it Happen?

• ISS has special internet phone that will allow
  Malenchenko to call.
• Having a proxy is possible as well.
• Proxy stand-in, someone who will be with
  Dmitriev on the altar since Malenchenko cannot.

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Is It Legal?

• Yes!
• Texas law allows if one person cannot be present
• If there is legitimate excuse
• For his legitimate excuse letter, Malenchenko
  wrote, I am a Russian cosmonaut in outer space
  serving as the commander of the international
  space station.
• Someone has to stand in if Malenchenko cannot
  call.

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Legal Technicalities

• Russian law states that since Malenchenko is a
  Russian air force colonel he
• Is the holder of state secrets and -
• Can only marry a woman that is not a citizen of
  Russia with permission from his superiors.
• Rules date to Soviet times.
• Could have to wait 10 years to obtain permission.

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When Is The Wedding?

• The ceremony will happen on August 10th, 2003.
• The bride will be in Texas.
• The groom will be on the ISS.

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What About the Honeymoon?

• First space marriage, not first space honeymoon.
• Upon Malenchenkos return, will have regular
  ceremony in a Russian church.
• Honeymoon will be in Australia.

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What Do Others Think?

• Sergei Gorbunov a spokesman for the Russian
  national aerospace agency said
• We havent barred him from doing that. We
  simply told him that it was unclear how he could
  do that from the point of Russian law.
• The official nearly fell from his chair when he
  
• heard that.

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What Do Others Think? (cont.)

• The wedding planner, Joanne Woodward, said
• Hes excited.
• Russian air force cief Colonel-General Vladimir
  Mikhailov said
• Cosmonaut must not behave like a movie star.

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Resources Used

• http//www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/07/18/station.m
  arriage.ap/index.html
• http//www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/07/23/station.m
  arriage.ap/index.html
• http//www.nasa.gov/