{"id":73630,"date":"2020-11-02T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?migration=converted-node-465863"},"modified":"2023-08-09T11:45:57","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T15:45:57","slug":"how-nasa-transmits-votes-from-the-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/station\/how-nasa-transmits-votes-from-the-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"How NASA Transmits Votes From the Space Station"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1541\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"An infographic showing how ballots flow from the International Space Station to Mission Control through NASA's Space Network.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png 3522w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=300,226 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=768,578 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=1024,770 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=1536,1156 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=2048,1541 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=400,301 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=600,451 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=900,677 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=1200,903 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/voting_infographic-scan-2020-01.png?resize=2000,1505 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Last month, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins cast her vote from space, sending her ballot from the International Space Station through NASA\u2019s Near Space Network.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>This fall, Americans around the world are exercising their right to vote, whether that be on Election Day, or through absentee ballot or early voting. Americans off-world also have the opportunity to participate in democracy, and NASA\u2019s <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/heo\/scan\/index.html\">Space Communications and Navigation<\/a> (SCaN) infrastructure makes it possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1997, the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allowed NASA astronauts to vote from space. That year, NASA astronaut <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/wolf_david.pdf?emrc=0c2cd7\">David Wolf<\/a> became <a href=\"https:\/\/history.nasa.gov\/SP-4225\/nasa6\/nasa6.htm\" rel=\"noopener\">the first American to vote from space<\/a> on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/shuttle-mir\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Mir Space Station<\/a>. This year, NASA astronaut <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/astronauts\/biographies\/kathleen-rubins\/biography\" rel=\"noopener\">Kate Rubins<\/a> became <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/astronauts-to-vote-in-space\" rel=\"noopener\">the latest to perform her civic duty<\/a> from space on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/station\/main\/index.html\" rel=\"noopener\">International Space Station<\/a>, 250 miles above Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-none \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Astronaut Kate Rubins votes from the space station\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg 5568w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">NASA astronaut Kate Rubins points to the International Space Station’s “voting booth” where she cast her vote from space last month. This is actually Rubins’ second time to vote from low-Earth orbit, having cast her first vote from space in 2016 when she was an Expedition 48-49 crew member.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Rubins\u2019 ballot \u2014 like most data transmitted between the space station and mission control \u2014 traversed through NASA\u2019s Near Space Network, managed by NASA\u2019s <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\">Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a> in Greenbelt, Maryland. After Rubins filled out her specially designed, electronic absentee ballot aboard the orbiting laboratory, the document flowed through a <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/tdrs\/home\/index.html\">Tracking and Data Relay Satellite<\/a> to a ground antenna at the <a rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers\/goddard\/home\/installations.html\">White Sands Complex<\/a> in Las Cruces, New Mexico. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From New Mexico, NASA transfers the ballot to the Mission Control Center at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston and then on to the county clerk responsible for casting the ballot. The ballot is encrypted and only accessible by the astronaut and the clerk to preserve the vote\u2019s integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crewed exploration requires brave astronauts to forgo many of the comforts afforded those back on Earth. Though far from home, NASA\u2019s networks connect them with their friends and family, and empower them to participate in society. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1997, the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allowed NASA astronauts to vote from space. That year, NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to vote from space on the Mir Space Station. This year, NASA astronaut Kate Rubins became the latest to perform her civic duty from space on the International Space Station, 250 miles above Earth\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":257,"featured_media":76667,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2735,3315],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[10644,10602],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"How NASA Transmits Votes From the Space Station","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/station\/how-nasa-transmits-votes-from-the-space-station\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/station\/how-nasa-transmits-votes-from-the-space-station\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg"},"articleSection":"Missions","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Danny Baird"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Katherine Schauer"}],"creator":["Danny Baird","Katherine Schauer"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Directorates","Space Operations Mission Directorate","Space Communications & Navigation Program","International Space Station (ISS)"],"dateCreated":"2020-11-02T19:00:00Z","datePublished":"2020-11-02T19:00:00Z","dateModified":"2023-08-09T15:45:57Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"How NASA Transmits Votes From the Space Station\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/station\/how-nasa-transmits-votes-from-the-space-station\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2020-11-02T19:00:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Directorates,Space Operations Mission Directorate,Space Communications & Navigation Program,International Space Station (ISS)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Danny Baird\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Katherine Schauer\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":2,"time_ago":"4 years","featured_image":{"id":76667,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/iss064e000163.jpg","title":"iss064e000163","alt":"Astronaut Kate Rubins votes from the space station.","caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73630"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/257"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73630"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73630\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":302597,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73630\/revisions\/302597"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73630"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=73630"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=73630"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=73630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}