14 DAY TRIAL // On Saturday, June 20, an American couple will get married in the weightlessness of an aircraft dive, inside a plane known as The Vomit Comet. The two New Yorkers, Noah Fulmor and Erin Finnegan, will tie the knot in this fashion because they have both been fascinated by space since their early years, and also because both of them dreamed of becoming astronauts. And, they say, this is the closest you can get to being in outer space without actually being there. They decided that their wedding was the best time to do this, so as to have memorable moments to tell the grandchildren.
The modified Boeing 727-200 aircraft in which the ceremony will be held for family and friends is owned by American enterprise Zero Gravity Corporation that rents its to private users. The basic operating principle of the aircraft is very simple – while airborne, it will engage in very steep descents, which will result in more than eight minutes of complete weightlessness in the back of the aircraft. Similar methods are used by astronauts during training, when they have to get used to the rough conditions of outer space. The Boeing will take off from the Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“Noah kept saying he wanted to get married in space. We probably won't be able to afford to go to space for at least another 25 to 50 years (maybe for our anniversary?) so when the Zero G plane opened to the public, I suggested we get married on one of their flights as a compromise,” wrote Finnegan on the couple's blog. She also added that the ceremony would be officiated by space tourist Richard Garriott, who last year visited the International Space Station through a deal made possible by the Space Adventures company, Space informs.
The two grooms will wear specially designed clothes for the occasion, perfectly fit to be worn in microgravity. Her dress is made by Japanese designer Eri Matsui, and features pants underneath, while his tuxedo, created by J. Lucas Clothiers, will sport special Tails, that will take advantage of the zero-gravity conditions. For each seat on the plane, about a dozen in total, the couple paid $5,400.
“Noah and I are throwing a lot of money at our crazy wedding because private space travel is a cause we really believe in. We really think the future is space, and that private citizens ought to be able to travel there. We want to promote space travel as a positive thing,” Erin added.