Atlanta (AP) – NASA astronaut Kate Robins told the Associated Press on Friday that she plans to cast her next vote from space – more than 200 miles above Earth.
Robins is located outside of Moscow in Star City, Russia, and prepares with two astronauts for launch in mid-October and a six-month stay on the International Space Station.
“I think it’s really important for everyone to vote,” Robbins said. “If we can do this from space, then I think people can do it from Earth as well.”
Most of the American astronauts live in Houston. Texas law allows them to vote from space using secure electronic ballot. The Mission Control Center sends the ballot to the space station and returns the completed poll to the county clerk.
“It’s very important to participate in our democracy,” said Robins. “We consider it a great honor to be able to vote from space.”
NASA astronauts have voted from space before. Robins and Shane Kimbro Cast their votes from the International Space Station.
Robins, the first person to do DNA sequencing in space, plans to work on a cardiovascular experiment and conduct research using the space station’s cold corn lab.
While there, it will celebrate 20 years of continued human presence on the space station, and will welcome the crew of the SpaceX Commercial Crew Mission II, expected to arrive in late October.
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