NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are currently stranded in the International Space Station (ISS), on Friday said they are planning to cast their votes in the upcoming US Presidential polls from space, a rare event that will be registered in the history of space travel.
Wilmore said he had already requested a ballot.
“They should get it to us in the coming weeks,” he was quoted as saying during an interaction with the media as quoted by BBC.
Williams said the experience of casting a vote from space will be ‘pretty cool’.
Williams said she missed her family members back on Earth. “I know they understand. I know it’s tough on them as well,” Williams says. “But everyone understands and everyone is cheering for us to get back.”
Williams said that she missed her family and pets and told CNN that she was disappointed to miss some family events this fall and winter,
However, she added: “This is my happy place. I love being up here in space. It’s just fun. You know, every day you do something that’s work, quote, unquote, you can do it upside down. You can do it sideways, so it adds a little different perspective.”
Astronauts have been able to vote from space since 1997. It was the same year when the Texas legislature passed a bill allowing astronauts to vote from space.
David Wolf was the first American to vote from space in the same year, reported Washington Examiner.
When asked about their feelings when the Starliner left without them, the astronaut said: ” We were watching our spaceship fly away.”
The press conference occurred just a week after Starliner returned to Earth without any astronauts.
Boeing’s Starliner Spaceship has returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) without carrying astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry E Wilmore who remain in space.
The Starliner arrived at 10:01 p.m. MDT Sept. 6 at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
“I am extremely proud of the work our collective team put into this entire flight test, and we are pleased to see Starliner’s safe return,” Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said last week.
“Even though it was necessary to return the spacecraft uncrewed, NASA and Boeing learned an incredible amount about Starliner in the most extreme environment possible. NASA looks forward to our continued work with the Boeing team to proceed toward certification of Starliner for crew rotation missions to the space station,” Ken Bowersox said.
The flight on June 5 was the first time astronauts launched aboard the Starliner.
It was the third orbital flight of the spacecraft, and its second return from the orbiting laboratory.
NASA astronauts Barry E Wilmore and Sunita Williams launched on June 5 aboard Starliner for the agency’s Boeing Crewed Flight Test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
On June 6, as Starliner approached the space station, NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters.
Following weeks of in-space and ground testing, technical interchange meetings, and agency reviews, NASA made the decision to prioritize safety and return Starliner without its crew.
“Wilmore and Williams will continue their work aboard the station as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew, returning in February 2025 with the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission,” read the NASA statement.
The crew flight test is part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.
The goal of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station and low Earth orbit.
This already is providing additional research time and has increased the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity’s microgravity testbed, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.
