NASA Kate Rubins, the only American citizen in space, has cast her vote from space.
Rubinz voted from the International Space Station.
On October 22, Rubins tweeted from NASA’s astronaut Twitter account, “I voted today.” A picture of the astronaut with the “ISS Voting Booth” sign appeared in front of a closed area on the space lab.
The purpose of the space agency is “Vote as you walkFor astronauts.
NASA astronaut Kate Rubins outside the voting booth at the International Space Station. (NASA)
“Like other forms of absentee voting, space voting begins with the Federal Postcard Application, or FPCA,” says NASA. Website. “This is the same form that military members and their families fill out while serving outside the United States. By completing this form before their commencement, the members of the space station crew indicate their intention to participate in the space election.” . ”
Once approved by the FCPA, the astronaut sends a test ballot to a team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, according to NASA, the county clerk who manages the election in the astronaut’s home county. A space station test is then used to test the computer to see if it can be filled and sent back to the county clerk.
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“After a successful test, Johnson’s Mission Control Center attached a secure electronic belt, made by Harris County Clerk’s Office and nearby counties in Texas, to a member of the voting staff,” NASA said. “An email with crew member-related credentials is sent to the astronaut from the county clerk. These certificates allow the crew member to reach the safe belt. ”
“The astronauts will cast their vote, and the secure, complete ballot will be attached below and sent back to the county clerk’s office via email for official registration,” NASA added. “The clerk has his own password to make sure he can open the ballot alone. It’s a fast-paced process, and the astronaut must make sure he or she casts his or her ballot as a Texas resident by 7pm local time on election day. ”
In 2016, NASA astronaut Shane Kimberly, the only American on Earth at the time, Voted In the presidential election from the International Space Station.
NASA Explained The system was first used for former astronaut David Wolf in 1997 while on a long-haul mission to the old Russian space station Mir. Because Wolfe’s mission extended Election Day, the process was set up to enable him to vote in space.
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Rubins also voted in space four years ago during his 115-day tenure on the International Space Station. He did so before voting His return Earth on October 30, 2016.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Follow James Rogers on Twitter Jamejrojers
