Astronauts Urge Americans on Earth to Vote
Monday, October 27, 2008
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The nearest polling place is 200 miles and a hair-raising rocket ride away, but those on board the International Space Station aren't forgetting to cast a ballot this election.
U.S. astronauts Mike Fincke and Gregory Chamitoff took the opportunity Monday to send a message: "If we can do it, so can you."
A bill passed in 1997 by the Texas Legislature set up a way for astronauts — most of whom live in Houston — to vote from space using an electronic ballot and secure e-mail.
In remarks that aired on NASA TV, the pair urged their fellow citizens to take the time to vote.
The astronauts ended their message with a zero-gravity flip.
