© NASA/JSC

Requirement? -

United States citizens are not required by law to cast a vote, whether it’s in local, state, or presidential elections.

© Getty Images

International Space Station - The ISS is a joint project involving five space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA (Japan), ESA (Europe), and CSA (Canada). This global collaboration brings together scientists, engineers, and astronauts from around the world.

© Getty Images

A laboratory in low Earth orbit -

Orbiting at an altitude of about 250 miles (400 kilometers), the ISS serves as a unique microgravity laboratory where astronauts conduct scientific research in a variety of fields, including biology, physics, and medicine.

© Getty Images

Continuous human presence -

Since the year 2000, astronauts have continuously lived and worked on the ISS, making it one of the longest-running human outposts in space. The space station allows for extended study of the effects of long-term space travel on the human body.

© Getty Images

Future space exploration -

The ISS is also used to test technologies and conduct research that will be critical for future space exploration, including missions to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis program and potential human exploration of Mars.

© Getty Images

Modular construction -

The ISS is made up of multiple interconnected modules that have been assembled in space over time. These modules serve various purposes, including living quarters, laboratories, and docking ports for spacecraft from Earth.

© Getty Images

International crew rotations -

Astronauts from different countries regularly rotate in and out of the ISS, typically spending six months aboard. These crews perform scientific research, conduct maintenance, and oversee station operations while maintaining a high level of international cooperation.

© Getty Images

Abundance -

About 280 astronauts representing no fewer than 23 countries have made the journey to the station, which orbits the Earth every 90 minutes. Out of all the astronauts, 54 of them hailed from the US.

© Getty Images

Support of democracy -

Although they are isolated in space, astronauts can still participate in the democratic process. NASA’s sophisticated communication networks allow astronauts to stay connected with their country and society, despite their distance from Earth.

© NL Beeld

Voting in space -

NASA astronauts aboard the ISS can vote in US elections while in orbit. This process is made possible through NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program, which enables astronauts to cast ballots via absentee voting procedures.

© Public Domain

Communication system -

Similar to the way other data transmissions operate on the ISS, astronauts use the Near Space Network (which is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center) to transmit their votes.

© Shutterstock

Near Space Network -

The Near Space Network connects all space missions located within 1.2 million miles (about 1.9 million km) of Earth, including the ISS, which also helps facilitate secure communication and navigation services for voting from space.

© Getty Images

Voting via absentee ballot -

Similar to Americans who are outside of their homeland, astronauts can fill out a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot that is ultimately sent to the ISS on voting day.

© Getty Images

Sending back -

Once they receive it electronically aboard the ISS, they complete the ballot, which is sent through NASA's communication systems back to Earth for processing.

© Getty Images

Digital travel -

The digital document travels through NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System all the way to a ground antenna located at the agency’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

© Shutterstock

Final stretch -

From New Mexico, the agency sends the document through to the Mission Control Center at NASA Johnson Space Center for final submission to the local county clerk who is responsible for casting the ballot in the first place.

© Getty Images

Secure transfer -

Digitally, these votes travel great distances and pass through many checkpoints. As such, every vote is encrypted to ensure security. It is only accessible by the astronaut and the clerk.

© Shutterstock

Legal framework -

Astronauts have had the legal ability to vote from space since 1997, following an expansion to the Texas Election Code to allow space voting.

© Getty Images

First vote -

In the same year as the legislation was implemented, astronaut David Wolf became the first American to “vote while you float.” He cast his ballot while aboard the Mir Space Station.

© Getty Images

Recent vote -

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins is one of the most recent astronauts to vote from space. She cast her ballot during the 2020 US presidential election while aboard the International Space Station.

© Getty Images

Home base -

Though astronauts come from various parts of the US, they typically make Texas their official residence due to proximity to NASA's Johnson Space Center. This ensures easier access to training facilities and mission support when they are not in space.

© Shutterstock

Long-term life -

Astronauts have continuously lived and worked on the ISS for over two decades. This environment allows them to test technologies, perform scientific experiments, and develop skills essential for future space exploration beyond Earth.

© Getty Images

Launch -

Two of the astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station were not actually supposed to partake in the election from beyond Earth. NASA’s Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched to the ISS in June, but have yet to return.

© Getty Images

A short trip -

The duo left the planet on the first crewed test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, but they were supposed to return roughly a week later, which would have been five months before the election. But this was not to be.

© Getty Images

Stranded -

Wilmore and Williams were informed that the capsule was not safe enough to bring them home, which means that the astronauts would need to stay in space until 2025. As such, the duo will be casting their votes from low Earth orbit in November.

© NL Beeld

Decommission -

Interestingly, the International Space Station won’t play host to many astronauts in the future. By the year 2030, NASA intends to decommission the ISS as it reaches the end of its functional life.

© Shutterstock

Heavy - The station weighs around 474 US tons (430 metric tonnes), and will certainly be difficult to bring down. NASA has considered preserving the station due to its historical value as a unique artifact, but the cost of preservation far outweighs the benefits.

© Public Domain

Annihilation -

The only way that the agency will be able to decommission the station is through total annihilation. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has already been tasked with accomplishing this, so there will only be another handful of astronauts to vote aboard the station before it is forever erased from our skies.

Sources: (NASA) (CNN) (USA.gov) (BBC Science Focus)

See also: A history of famous firsts in space

© Getty Images