Video: How Astronauts Might One Day Vote From Mars
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At least they won't have to stand in line at the polls.
The 2016 election has come to a close, and this year, astronaut Shane Kimbrough cast his vote via a special absentee ballot from the International Space Station. Astronauts have had the ability to "vote while they float" since the 1990s, thanks to a Texan law and a partnership between NASA's mission control and the local election office.
But as humanity continues to explore further into the solar system and onward to Mars, how will those astronauts vote? Likely very, very early.
"There's a very good chance those first crew members that make the trip to Mars, they'll be gone during an election season most likely, as your trip to Mars is going to be about a 2- to 3-year range," said Dan Huot, a NASA spokesman. "There's a whole world of space legislature that'll be explored as we begin living in space more permanently."
To learn more, check out the video below from Wired: