Will astronauts stuck in space vote in the US presidential election?

Despite the hardships they face in space, veteran astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore And they won’t stop exercising their right to vote in the upcoming US presidential election. Both plan to cast their ballots from about 400 kilometres above the Earth.

The duo who lived in International Space Station (ISS) Since last June, he participated in a press conference last Friday to provide an update on his situation. Both are in this state due to technical problems in Boeing StarlinerWhich prevented him from returning to land After what should have been an eight-day mission.

According to a report by Fox NewsThe astronauts expressed their gratitude to everyone on Earth and answered questions for the first time since their ship left the International Space Station without a crew on board.

Wilmore said he has already requested his ballot and expects to receive it in a few weeks. “I sent my ballot request out today, actually, and they should be here in a couple of weeks.”

“It’s a very important role that we all play as citizens to be included in those elections, and NASA makes it very easy for us,” he added during the press conference.

For his part, Williams expressed his enthusiasm for the opportunity to vote from space, stressing that he considers it a “very important duty.” a pot Facilitates this process by sending electronic ballots to: International Space Stationwhich the astronauts complete and return electronically to land.

he Boeing Starliner It returned to Earth a week before the press conference, allowing the ship to arrive. SpaceX Crew Dragonwhich is responsible for returning astronauts in February 2025. The delay means both will spend an extended vacation in space and will not be able to vote in person on Nov. 5.

New York Post He also reported on the technical problems Starliner faced. “Several helium leaks – which were already known – caused the propulsion failure,” leading to the decision not to return the astronaut couple.

But if they feel disappointed because of the problems with StarlinerWilmore flatly rejected the idea: “Absolutely not. We’re here on the space station today. And even today, this is not an easy process. NASA does a great job and NASA people do a great job of making a lot of things look easy.”

Fox News As Wilmore told the conference, he was optimistic despite the difficulties: “We commit and train ourselves to deal with all kinds of situations. This is not just NASA, this is something that Sonny and I have done our entire careers,” Wilmore said.

Astronauts have had the opportunity to vote from space since 1997, when the country became a member. Texas He issued a law allowing employees a pot Voting from space David Wolf He was the first American astronaut to vote from space on the Mir station.

As stated New York PostIn 2020, the astronaut a pot Kate Robbins He also did his civic duty from the International Space Station.

a task SpaceX Crew Dragonwhich will return astronauts, is scheduled to launch this month from Florida Space CoastThe mission was originally scheduled to carry four astronauts, but will now carry only two to make room for astronaut gear. Boeing Starliner.