He The New York Submit Since 1997, American astronauts have been casting their ballots from house, because of a invoice handed by the Texas legislature permitting NASA workers to take part in voting from house. File | Picture credit score: Reuters
Stranded on the Worldwide Area Station till February, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore plan to vote within the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5 from house.
“It’s a vital responsibility that we have now as residents and I’m wanting ahead to having the ability to vote from house, which is nice,” Williams, who’s of Indian origin, stated on a name with reporters on Friday (September 12, 2024) afternoon.
Ms Williams, 58, and Ms Wilmore, 61, took half in a information convention on Friday (12 September 2024) from the Worldwide Area Station (ISS), which has been their dwelling since June. Their Boeing Starliner spacecraft had a number of issues mid-flight and was unable to deliver them dwelling after a deliberate 8-day journey.
“I submitted my request to vote at this time,” Wilmore stated. “It’s a vital function that we play as residents, together with these elections, and NASA makes it very straightforward for us,” she stated. They didn’t, nevertheless, point out which presidential candidate — former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris — would get her vote.
American astronauts have been voting from house since 1997, when the Texas legislature handed a invoice permitting NASA workers to vote from house. The New York Submit That yr, NASA astronaut David Wolf grew to become the primary American to vote from house on the Mir Area Station. In 2020, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins additionally carried out her civic responsibility from house on the ISS.
Election officers in Harris County, Texas, dwelling to NASA’s Johnson Area Station, stated NBC Information who work with NASA to ship astronauts a PDF with clickable packing containers for them to select from. The PDF is password protected to make sure a secret vote.
Friday’s (September 12, 2024) press convention got here precisely one week after the Starliner returned to Earth, with out its crew, to make room on the house station for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, which is now attributable to deliver the 2 astronauts dwelling in February.
Williams and Wilmore dwell on the Worldwide Area Station with seven different astronauts and say they’re “grateful” to be spending extra time in house, regardless of the difficulties.
Requested if it was troublesome to look at the Starliner depart with out them, Williams stated their job was to ensure it left the ISS safely. “We had been watching our spacecraft go away,” he stated.
Ms. Williams stated that as a result of she and Mr. Wilmore used to work within the Navy, “they are not shocked when assignments change. It is dangerous and that is how the enterprise works,” she stated.
Requested in the event that they felt let down by NASA and Boeing, Wilmore stated: “Completely not.” Pointing to Ms. William’s T-shirt with the NASA emblem, he stated: “That represents one thing we stand for as an company: We go above and past, we do issues which are out of the unusual. This isn’t straightforward.” He stated 90% of their coaching as astronauts is about getting ready for “the surprising.”
Ms Williams, who has simply been appointed commander of the Worldwide Area Station, stated she was in good spirits.
“We’re right here with our pals, we have now transportation to get again dwelling,” he stated, including that he’s wanting ahead to the following few months aboard the ISS.
Revealed – September 14, 2024 01:09 pm IST
