NASA astronaut casts his ballot from outer space
If you thought you had a good excuse for not making it to the polls on Election Day, here comes NASA with a rude awakening.
Astronaut Shane Kimbrough, the only American currently not on planet Earth, filled out his ballot from the International Space Station on Monday, according to FOX News.
Voting can be out of this world! Literally. See how @NASA_Astronauts cast their vote on @Space_Stationhttps://t.co/3paZHLG9aX#Election2016pic.twitter.com/VNInwsSAcv
— NASA (@NASA) November 6, 2016
Kimbrough's participation in the election was made possible by a bill passed in 1997, according to NASA's Tumblr.
Astronauts orbit the Earth at 17,000 miles per hour, but thanks to a bill passed by Texas legislatures in 1997 that put in place technical voting procedure for astronauts – nearly all of whom live in Texas – they also have the ability to vote from space!
The post continued on to explain the history of the "Vote while you float" initiative:
'Space voting' was first used the same year it was implemented in 1997. NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to vote in space while on the Russian Mir Space Station. Current space station resident astronaut Shane Kimbrough is the most recent astronaut to take advantage of the opportunity.
Although skipping insane poll lines seems like a wonderful perk, the agency admits the program does have a huge pitfall.
"There is one disadvantage to voting in space," NASA wrote. "(Astronauts) miss out on the highly coveted 'I Voted' sticker."
More photos of the sought-after accessories:
