Posted: Tue, Aug 5, 2003, 5:54 PM ET (2154 GMT)
Russian officials have given their approval for a Russian cosmonaut to participate in a wedding ceremony on the International Space Station this weekend. Last month Ekaterina Dmitriev received a marriage license in the state of Texas to marry Yuri Malenchenko, a cosmonaut on the station. The marriage ceremony was scheduled for August 10, with Malenchenko participating via a telephone link with the station, as allowed under Texas law. However, Russian officials said they could not allow the ceremony to take place for a variety of reasons, ranging from a lack of explicit consent for such ceremonies in ISS regulations to the requirement that Malenchenko, a Russian Air Force officer, get permission before marrying a foreign citizen. Rosaviakosmos officials blocked any opposition they had to the ceremony on Tuesday, though; Sergei Gorbunov told the AP that "He [Malenchenko] wants it, and he will have it — that's his problem." The wedding ceremony, while valid in Texas, may not be valid in Russia, but the couple had previously planned on holding another wedding ceremony in Russia next year.

Related Links:

•  Itar-Tass article
•  AP article
•  Reuters article