Washington, Nov 6: With exercising democratic franchise, ace astronauts Sunita Williams along with the Team NASA, in space including Butch Wilmore and Don Pettit casted their votes for the US presidential election concluded today.
The news of voting from the space came up to light after NASA Astronaut Nick Hague shared a photograph, captured in the space.
The picture featured that Sunita and her NASA Team are floating in space, wearing colourful socks that read, “Proud to be American”.
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!”
Voting from the space, especially partaking in the Presidential Election which is considered as a citizen’s utmost rights and duty, highlighted the significance of civic duty, as Sunita Williams pointed out in her recent call to the planet earth.
Sunita in her conversion heard 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.
According to NASA, Kate Rubins was the most recent astronaut to cast a ballot from the International Space Station during the 2020 US elections.
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.
A Texas law passed in 1997 enabled astronauts to vote from space, particularly those affiliated with NASA's Johnson Space Center.
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.
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 their mother Earth via a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
