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A Brooklyn couple will become the first on the planet to say "I do" in zero gravity when they tie the knot later this month.
本月下旬,纽约布鲁克林区一对新婚夫妇将成为地球上第一对在失重状态下说“我愿意”的爱侣。
Self-confessed sci-fi addicts Noah Fulmore, 31, and Erin Finnegan, 30, will travel to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., to exchange their vows while literally walking on air.
新郎诺阿·福尔摩31岁,新娘艾琳·芬妮根30岁,俩人都是科幻小说迷。届时他俩将到佛罗里达州的肯尼迪太空中心,然后一起飘在空中,许下他们的婚誓。
"We would really prefer to do it in space or on Mars but living in the time that we do, this was the closest we could get to zero gravity," Fulmore said.
福尔摩说:“我们倒很愿意在太空中甚至在火星上举办婚礼,不过在我们目前所生活的这个年代而言,我们选择的婚礼形式就算是与零重力最接近的方式了。”
"We were shocked to discover no one had done it yet."
“我们实在太激动了,因为以前没人这么做过。”
The Williamsburg residents will be joined June 20 by a handful of friends in a plane owned by the Zero Gravity Corporation's--the only federally approved provider of commercial weightless flights.
这两个住在威廉斯堡的年轻人将在6月20日举行婚礼,到时候也有亲友同在飞机上参加他们的婚礼。飞机的主人是零重力公司,也是联邦政府批准的唯一一家提供商业性零重力飞行服务的供应商。
Space tourist and adventurer Richard Garriott, the son of an astronaut, will officiate at the ceremony during the 90-minute flight.
持续时间大约90分钟的婚礼将由理查德·加里奥特主持,他本人就是一名太空旅行家和冒险家,其父亲也曾是一名宇航员。
The newlyweds are sure to have butterflies in their stomachs because the trip includes 15 rollercoaster-type dives, known as parabolic arcs, which last up to 30 seconds.
婚礼期间,这两位新人心里一定会十五只吊桶打水——七上八下(注1),因为这次航程将有15次过山车式的俯冲,持续时间30秒。这种飞行方式,用航空专业术语说,叫做抛物线弧形俯冲。
The jet plummets from 36,000 feet to 24,000 feet and then climbs back up--allowing passengers on the Boeing 727 to experience weightlessness.
到时候那架波音727喷气式客机将从36000英尺高处以自由落体方式降落到24000英尺处,随后再重新飞回高处,这样乘客们就会感受一阵子失重的感觉。
"There's going to be that moment of expectation right before we are lifted up and I feel like I've waited my whole life for that," said Fulmore, a legal secretary.
新郎福尔摩是一名法律助理,他说:“我相信在飞机开始起飞的时候,我们一定会激动地盼望着那一刻的到来,可是,我总觉得自己一生都在等这一刻似的。”
"We will be one of the few humans who have experienced that."
“这个世界上没有几个人有过这样的经历。”
The lovebirds had their wedding wardrobe especially designed for the occasion.
这对爱情鸟还为这个特殊场合请人专门设计了他们的结婚礼服。
Finnegan will wear a multilayered white gown and Fulmore will be in a tux with tapered tails to ensure their clothes don't reveal too much.
芬妮根穿的是多层的白色婚纱,她和福尔摩的礼服一样,下摆都要拖长些,以免不小心走光。
The pair met at an NYU science fiction club in 2000 and began dating in 2002. They went to so many "conventional" weddings they decided to do something out of this world.
这对新人是2000年在纽约大学一个科幻小说俱乐部认识的,2002年,俩人开始恋爱。他们俩参加过很多亲友的传统婚礼,因此决定做一件这个世界上前所未闻的事情。
"Since this is the one time in our lives that we were going to do this [get married], we thought we should make it a once-in-a-lifetime event," Fulmore said.
福尔摩说:“既然是我们有生以来唯一的一次结婚,我们就想干脆把他搞成一次一生只有一次的活动算了。”
"My mom thinks I'm absolutely nuts."
“我妈觉得我简直没治了。”
The honeymoon will be more low-key--a trip to Disney World--but you can bet they won't miss Space Mountain.
他们的蜜月倒是相当低调:只是去迪士尼乐园而已,不过可以打赌,他们不会错过“飞越太空山”项目的。
"I never wanted to have a normal wedding," said Finnegan, who works in animation production. "I couldn't picture myself walking down an aisle."
新娘子芬妮根从事动画设计工作,她说:“我从来就不希望我的婚礼平平常常。我无法形容我走进婚礼殿堂时的激动心情。”
The flight costs, 200 per person and Finnegan and Fulmore are footing the entire bill themselves.
他们这次的飞行费用为每人5200美元,全都由他们自己埋单。
"I think we will spend some of our married life simply paying off the expense, but I think that weightlessness is probably the best metaphor for love that one can experience," Fulmore said.
福尔摩说:“我想我们婚后会有一段时间来消化这笔费用,不过,我相信失重的经历也许是我俩爱情的最好象征。”