Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams is set to make history as she prepares to vote in the upcoming US Presidential election aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Williams, who is currently serving as commander of the ISS, will exercise her democratic right from approximately 400 kilometers above Earth’s surface.
The voting process for astronauts in space has been in place since 1997, when the Texas Legislature passed a bill allowing Nasa astronauts to cast ballots from orbit.Williams will join a select group of space-based voters, following in the footsteps of astronauts like David Wolf, who became the first American to vote from space while aboard the Mir Space Station, and Kate Rubins, who most recently voted from the ISS during the 2020 elections.She will first complete a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot. Once received, Williams will fill out the electronic ballot on the ISS computer system. The voting process relies on Nasa’s sophisticated Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program.
