(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – In what could be seen as the ultimate example of voting remotely, US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams find themselves in a unique situation.
Originally scheduled for an eight-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), unforeseen complications have extended their stay to at least seven months.
Despite this change, they will exercise their democratic rights from space, casting their ballots in the upcoming elections, NewsNation reports, cited by The Hill.
NASA has a long-standing tradition of facilitating voting from space, a practice that has been in place for 27 years.
This became possible when Texas, home to NASA’s headquarters in Houston, passed legislation allowing astronauts, who are typically Texas residents, to vote while orbiting Earth.
However, the circumstances for Wilmore and Williams are slightly unusual this time around.
Due to unexpected technical issues with their Starliner capsule, including problems with thrusters and a helium leak, along with the intricacies of coordinating ISS crew changes, they find themselves still in orbit as Election Day approaches.
While the Starliner capsule itself has since returned to Earth, its crew remains aboard the ISS.
“I sent down my request for a ballot today. It’s a very important role that we play as citizens including those elections, and NASA makes it very easy for us to do that,” Wilmore shared during a recent media call.
In Harris County, Texas, where election officials are accustomed to this unique voting arrangement, the process is handled with care to ensure its integrity.
Astronauts receive a PDF ballot with clickable options, safeguarded by a password to maintain the confidentiality of their selections.
The historical backdrop to this practice was set by NASA astronaut David Wolf, who became the first to vote from space in 1997 while aboard the Russian space station Mir.
Since then, many astronauts have taken advantage of this provision, although not all currently in space will do so this year.
Tracy Caldwell Dyson is set to return to Earth on September 23, while her colleagues, Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, are scheduled to return on October 6.
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