Man Proposes To Woman On Zero-Gravity Flight; She Says Yes

NEW YORK (AP) _ Alexander Loucopoulos wasn't afraid he would drop the ring when he proposed to his girlfriend, but he did have another fear. <br/><br/>``I was afraid the ring would float really far

Sunday, May 6th 2007, 3:22 pm

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) _ Alexander Loucopoulos wasn't afraid he would drop the ring when he proposed to his girlfriend, but he did have another fear.

``I was afraid the ring would float really far away,'' said Loucopoulos, 32, of New York City.

When he proposed Saturday to Graciela Asturias, a 27-year-old space enthusiast, they were on a 90-minute zero-gravity flight aboard a Boeing 727.

``I asked if she'd marry me, and then the ring just floated in front of her as we floated in zero gravity,'' he said. She said yes.

``I was so surprised,'' said Asturias. ``I'm in total shock.''

The trip cost $3,500 each and was organized by Space Adventures of Virginia, which also arranged for Charles Simonyi's $20 million flight to space in April. Loucopoulos works as a banker in private equity and Asturias is an architect.

``I would like our 10-year anniversary to be in orbit,'' Loucopoulos said.