NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore and Don Pettit casted their votes early for the US presidential election, all while aboard the International Space Station. They shared a picture floating in space, wearing colourful socks that read, "Proud to be American". The photo, shared by NASA Astronaut Nick Hague, captured the essence of voting - a right that transcends location. The photo was captioned as "It doesn't matter if you are sitting, standing, or floating - what matters is that you vote!"
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A post shared by NASA Astronaut Nick Hague (@astrohague)
Voting from space highlighted the significance of civic duty, as Sunita Williams pointed out in a recent call with reporters, saying, "It's a very important duty we have as citizens." She also shared her excitement about the unique experience, calling it "pretty cool." Her crewmate, Wilmore, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to vote, having just submitted his absentee ballot request.
A Texas law passed in 1997 enabled astronauts to vote from space, particularly those affiliated with NASA's Johnson Space Center. David Wolf became the first astronaut to cast a space ballot. NASA's Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program facilitated this process by securely transmitting electronic ballots from space to ground stations.
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Voting from space is just like absentee voting. Astronauts request absentee ballots and complete them electronically while on the ISS. These ballots are transmitted over vast distances to NASA's Mission Control Center, where they are securely forwarded to the appropriate county clerk. This process ensures that astronauts can participate in elections, even while orbiting Earth.
According to NASA, Kate Rubins was the most recent astronaut to cast a ballot from the International Space Station during the 2020 US elections.
For the unversed, Williams and Wilmore, who were initially scheduled for an 8-day mission on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft in June, have had their stay on the ISS extended due to technical issues with the spacecraft. Multiple helium leaks led to thruster malfunctions, preventing their return. NASA has now confirmed that their return is postponed to February 2025, where they will be transported back to Earth via a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
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