Stranded astronauts plan to vote in 2024 election from space
Astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams are looking forward to casting votes in the upcoming presidential election from space.
A difference in gravity won’t stop Suni Williams from voting in the presidential election this November.
Williams, who is from Massachusetts, is a NASA astronaut currently in space.
In a virtual news conference last week, Williams and her colleague, Butch Wilmore, said they will vote from space in the November presidential election.
Williams and Wilmore initially went to space in June on the Boeing Starliner for what was supposed to be a weeklong trip.
After the spacecraft experienced technical issues, NASA announced the crew members would remain in space until February 2025.
Here’s what to know about their unique polling process.
How will Suni Williams vote in the election from space?
Suni Williams will vote in the November presidential election from space, she said in a news conference last week.
“It’s a very important duty that we have as citizens and looking forward to being able to vote from space, which is pretty cool,” she said.
Her crew member, Butch Wilmore, said he had also sent his ballot down from space.
“It’s a very important role that we play as citizens is to be included in those elections, and NASA makes it very easy for us to do that,” Wilmore said.
Officials in the Texas county where NASA’s Johnson Space Center is located wrote in a statement to the USA Today Network that the astronauts vote using an absentee ballot system.
The Harris County Clerk’s office said astronauts are sent a test ballot with a unique password to ensure they have access to a secure ballot.
“After a successful test, the secured ballot is sent as a fillable document so the astronauts can make their selections, save them, and send them back,” the office said. “Once the astronauts vote their live ballot, it is returned, printed, and processed with other ballots.”
Why is Suni Williams still in space?
Needham native Suni Williams was part of the first crewed flight of the Boeing Starliner in June alongside fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore.
Williams and Wilmore were originally set to return to Earth after a week. After the spacecraft had technical issues while landing, they stayed on board the International Space Station as NASA navigated months of uncertainty.
Last month, NASA announced Williams and Wilmore would stay in space until February 2025 as members on the ISS. The Starliner returned to Earth uncrewed earlier this month.
Who is Suni Williams?
Suni Williams is a NASA astronaut from Massachusetts. She was born in Ohio but considers Needham her hometown, according to her NASA bio.
Williams traveled to space on the Boeing Starliner in June. After technical issues with the spacecraft, NASA decided that Williams will remain at the International Space Station until February 2025.
The 58-year-old, who has family ties to Cape Cod, recently ran the Falmouth Road Race while harnessed to a treadmill on the ISS.
The trip is Williams’ third mission on board the International Space Station. She is a retired U.S. Navy officer and has been an astronaut for NASA since 1998.
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Publish date : 2024-09-19 21:06:00
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