Space Vote! Astronaut Thomas Pesquet Votes In Presidential Election From International Space Station

European Space Agency (ESA) Astronaut Thomas Pesquet recently voted for the second round of the French presidential elections from the International Space Station (ISS). The French astronaut did not let distance or space, both literally and figuratively, deter him from voting for his favorite candidate.

According to Tech Times, Pesquet carried out his duty by giving the power of attorney to a French colleague for voting. “It was a bit complicated because I live abroad, but the people from the consulate were really nice so I was able to arrange for a French colleague to vote for me,” the astronaut stated, as reported by KETV.

The astronaut said he wanted to vote to remind French citizens to exercise their rights to choose a president. Regarding his choice of president, the French astronaut added that he took into consideration the promises and plans shared by candidates before deciding who to vote for.

Incidentally, the vote turnout for the presidential elections in France remained low compared to 2007 and 2012. This year, voters had to select between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron during the presidential elections’ second round. The election results will be announced shortly.

The ISS crew is easily able to communicate with Earth and can also access their social media account, from their location that is nearly 400 kilometers above the surface of the planet. Many crew members upload spectacular and interesting images of Earth, as seen from the ISS, on their social media handles.

Thomas Pesquet, who is French but currently lives in Germany, is the youngest ESA astronaut to go for a mission on the space laboratory. Pesquet, who is a part of ISS’ Expedition 50-51, majored in space vehicle mechanics and space systems from the École Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace in Toulouse, France.