WASHINGTON D.C., DC — We're all thinking it. How do astronauts aboard the International Space Station vote?
NASA astronauts up in space can vote through an absentee ballot or early voting in coordination with the county clerk's office where they live.
But how is that even possible?
Through the Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program, of course.
According to NASA, the votes cast in space travel through the Near Space Network, which connects missions within 1.2 million miles of Earth with communications and navigation services
Astronauts can fill out a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot. After an astronaut fills out an electronic ballot aboard the orbiting laboratory, the document goes through NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to a ground antenna in New Mexico.
The ballot is then transferred to the Mission Control Center and then to the county clerk of the astronaut where it is cast. The ballot is encrypted and only accessible to the astronaut and clerk, according to NASA.
NASA contributed to this report.
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