NASA astronaut Kate Rubin votes from ISS: ‘If we can do it from space …’


This is part of the story Election 2020, C.N.E.T. No coverage for voting in November.

Even though you keep casting your vote, you have to appreciate this NASA astronaut who did his job of voting from space. Kate Rubins, who is currently on duty at the International Space Station, posted a photo of herself in front of a padded booth marked “ISS Voting Booth,” “From the International Space Station: I voted today.”

NASA notes that this is not the first time Rubins has been voted out of space. She did so in 2016, when she was also on the ISS.

“I think it’s really important for everyone to vote,” Rubins said in a video uploaded by NASA. “And if we can do it from space, I believe people can do it from the ground as well.” Rubins’ six-month ISS mission began on October 14, which was also his 42nd birthday.

Most astronauts prefer to vote as Texas residents because they are heading to Houston for training, NASA said, however, those who want to vote as residents of their home state can make special arrangements.

The astronaut-registered county belots are tested on a space station training computer, then the original ballot is produced with the ISS along with a crew-member-specific credential to secure it. The completed ballot is delivered electronically back to Earth for official recording.

NASA said in a statement that space voting has been possible since 1997 when a bill to legally vote in Texas was passed. “Since then, many NASA astronauts have been using this civil duty from orbit. Since NASA is working to send astronauts to the moon in 2024 and eventually work on Mars, the agency plans to be able to convince astronauts who want to vote in space, nowhere in the solar system. It doesn’t matter. “

NASA had expected US astronauts on the SpaceX Crew-1 mission to join Rubins in voting from space from the ISS, but their mission has been delayed until late November, so they can now vote from Earth.


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