Arizona Congresswoman and NASA Shuttle Commander Wed on Organic Farm

Gabrielle Giffords (a democratic congresswoman from Arizona) and Shuttle Commander Mark Kelly (who also has a twin brother in the astronaut corp) were married Saturday, November 10th at an organic farm in southern Arizona.

Giffords, who splits her time between Washington and the 8th district of Arizona, and Kelly, who splits his time between Houston and training in Florida and other places, are used to maintaining their relationship over a long distance. This is good because

Kelly is currently training to command STS-124, the shuttle mission that will bring the Japanese laboratory module Kibo to the International Space Station in April 2008.

The wedding boasted both environmentally friendly touches as well as a a cast of astronauts (such as brother Scott and Canadian astronaut Julie Payette) and politicians such (as Arizona state Rep. Linda Lopez; state Sen. Elaine Richardson). The groom wore his Navy dress whites and the bride wore an eco-conscious borrowed Vera Wang. The Arizona Daily Star has a link up to their slideshow here.

According to the Arizona Daily Star story:

A former Clinton cabinet member gave the final blessings. And the Jewish chuppah was escorted in by a mariachi band… The blessing: Given by Robert Reich, President Clinton’s secretary of labor and a good friend of Giffords. The vows: Traditional Jewish ceremony. The rings: His is a titanium wedding band, hers is a wide gold band studded with lapis. Her engagement ring is a diamond solitaire. The food: Regional Mexican, right down to a person making homemade tortillas, and steak and potatoes.

Ah, space weddings, they are my favorite. It reminds me of when cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko wed Ekaterina Dmitriev during his six month stay on the International Space Station in 2003. (Good thing Texas state law still allows people to wed in absentia.) Besides it’s always good to have more people on the hill who can appreciate the  value of human space exploration, encouraging Americans to study science, work hard and keep our science and technology on the cutting edge and not just watching from the stands. I don’t mind someone who helps bridge space and the environment as well…

Marrying Naturally [Arizona Daily Star] Ariz. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords marries NASA astronaut [Associated Press]

Images: House.gov and NASA.gov