US Election: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore, and Don Pettit vote early from space

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore, Sunita Williams, and Don Pettit cast their votes early for the presidential election, all while floating in the microgravity of the International Space Station.

On Election Day, the astronauts showcased their patriotic spirit by posting a photo on Instagram, proudly displaying their colorful socks. Two of those socks sported the message “Proud to be American,” a fitting tribute to their participation in the democratic process from orbit.

These spacefarers are part of a larger wave of over 1.2 million early voters in Harris County, Texas.

Voting from space is a fascinating process: astronauts transmit their ballots back to Earth using the same technology that facilitates communication between the space station and mission control. This is accomplished through NASA’s Near Space Network, a constellation of satellites that relay information to ground-based antennas.

“It’s a very important duty that we have as citizens and I’m looking forward to being able to vote from space, which is pretty cool,” Williams expressed during a news conference held from the space station on September 13.

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