NASA astronauts (United States Space Agency) who are on the International Space Station (ISS) published a photo on social media this Tuesday (5) celebrating American election day .
“It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting, standing or floating — what matters is that you vote!” they wrote in the caption of the image.
In the record, four scientists — including Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who went to the orbital laboratory via Starliner — appear showing socks with the US flag, two with the words “proud to be an American”.
Astronauts are guaranteed the right to vote in North American elections even while in Earth’s orbit.
In 1997, the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allowed voting from space. NASA astronaut David Wolf debuted the feat, becoming the first North American to vote in orbit on the Mir Space Station.
Like other data shared between Earth and the ISS, the astronauts’ vote passes from a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite to a terrestrial antenna at the White Sands Complex in New Mexico, in the United States.
The ballot leaves the US state for the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and goes to the county clerk responsible for the votes. To guarantee the secrecy of the vote, only the astronaut and this employee have access to the document.
See this photo on Instagram
This content was originally published in From space, NASA astronauts celebrate US elections; see photo on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
