Sunita Williams has also voted in the US elections.
Voting is underway for the presidential elections in the United States. Sunita Williams and other NASA astronauts on the International Space Station have also cast their votes from space. The astronauts not only voted to choose their favorite candidate between Kamala Harris and Trump but also called on other people to vote.
There are currently 4 astronauts on the International Space Station. Among them is Sunita Williams who is stuck on the ISS due to a vehicle malfunction, apart from this there are also Don Petit, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore of SpaceX Crew-9. Sunita Williams described voting as a responsibility and described the experience of being able to do so from space as unique. Both Sunita Williams and Witch Wilmore have been stranded on the ISS since June 5.
What is the process for casting the spatial vote?
NASA has facilitated the NASA Space Communications and Navigation Program to allow off-planet astronauts to participate in elections. According to this, when an astronaut goes on a mission, he must register to vote in advance, to do this the astronaut must complete a federal postal application. This application can also be completed by other citizens who are outside the country for work or who are in military service and stationed in another country. When Sunita Williams went to space, she didn’t know she would stay there until the election. In such a situation, you have been given a chance.
How are votes cast in space?
First, NASA checks whether the astronaut on any mission has enough contact to be able to cast their vote within the established deadline. To do this, a test ballot is sent to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, sent to the astronaut, and it is tested whether the astronaut is able to cast the vote and return the ballot. If the test passes, the original ballot is still sent.
How is the process completed?
Once the ballot reaches the astronaut, he votes. After that, the encrypted version of this ballot is uploaded to the ISS computer system. With the help of NASA’s TDRS, that is, the tacking and data relay satellite, it reaches the ground terminal located in New Mexico. From here, with the help of Earth’s light, it is transmitted to NASA’s Johnson Space Station in Houston. From here it goes to the county clerk.
This is how the electoral process takes place on the International Space Station (Photo-NASA)
Encrypted ballot sent
The original ballot is sent encrypted to the astronaut. The ballot is sent to each astronaut separately and each person has a different code. This is an electronic voting ballot that is filled out electronically and sent by email. The clerk also has a unique password for each ballot, ensuring that the vote is not tampered with in any way.
Sunita Williams has already voted from space
Votes have been cast from space before; David Wolfe was the first to vote from space in 1997. Since then, astronauts have continually followed him. Sunita Williams has done this twice before in 2016 and 2020. Sunita Williams and Witch will now remain on the International Space Station until 2025.
