A NASA astronaut is heading toward the International Space Station.
- Shane Kimbrough will be the only American in space on Nov. 8
- Kimbrough says he will welcome the new president, 'whoever that is'
- Kimbrough and two Russian cosmonauts will conduct experiments on the ISS
Shane Kimbrough and two Russian cosmonauts launched at 4:05 a.m. EDT Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrone in Kazakhstan.
For the next four months, the trio will conduct hundreds of experiments while on board the ISS.
“I’m especially excited about a few things we’re going to do for future exploration,” said Kimbrough during a NASA press conference in Kazahstan. “We’re going to test some medical equipment and some other equipment like exercise equipment that will help us as we try to go to a place like Mars down the road.”
Three crew members, already on the space station, are set to depart for Earth next week.
That means Kimbrough will be the only American in space for the 2016 election on Nov. 8. However, that won’t stop him from casting a ballot.
“That’s going to be a special thing for me, to always say that I voted from space,” Kimbrough said. “As for the candidates, we’re pretty much apolitical, so I’m going to come home regardless of who’s the president and I’ll be glad to welcome the new president, whoever that is.”
Kimbrough and his Russian colleagues will spend two days in the tiny Soyuz, testing out upgrades to the spacecraft, before docking with the ISS on Friday.