NASA astronaut Kate Rubins might not make it home in time for the U.S. Presidential election in November, and could be voting from orbit.
Kate Rubins is unsure whether she will be able to get home to Earth in late October as was originally planned. Rubins is up on the ISS with two crewmates – one Russian and one Japanese astronaut – and is unable to return to Earth until the next crew arrives. Apparently NASA likes to have an overlap of several days if possible.
Reportedly the Russians have delayed the next launch of crew to the ISS due to technical reasons. A changeover was supposed to happen on Friday, but now it has been postponed for at least a month. For this reason, Rubins, the lone American up on the International Space Station, might have to vote from space. Luckily for Rubins, she requested an absentee ballot when she left Earth in July, just in case something went wrong. When she’s not orbiting the planet, home for the female NASA astronaut is Houston, Texas.
Rubin made the news recently by wearing a colorful space suit on the ISS, designed by cancer patient kids. The kids are patients at M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston and they got the chance to talk to Flight Engineer Rubin life on the International Space Station. The young patients all took part in the U.S. Space Suit Art Project to design three space suits, dubbed Hope, Courage and Unity, over the past year. Reportedly the idea behind the project is to raise awareness about the benefits of pairing art and medicine.
Rubin said the project really inspired her. She said it was an amazing opportunity to get to paint with the children and that she remembers seeing the suit when it was just a blank canvas. It turns out Rubins has a degree in cancer biology and wore the Courage suit during their conversation between Earth and the ISS.
Photo: Screengrab via YouTube
Source: NY Daily News
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