Two
astronauts joined the millions of Americans who watched now-President Barack
Obama's inauguration Tuesday, even though they were flying high above Earth
aboard the International Space Station.
Space
station commander Michael Fincke and flight engineer Sandra Magnus, both of
NASA, took some time out of their busy day to watch live TV coverage of Obama's
inauguration in Washington, D.C., from their perch 220 miles (354 km) above
Earth.
"Congratulations
on a new president and a new administration," Fincke told flight controllers on
Earth after Obama officially became the 44th U.S. president.
Fincke was
able to vote
from space during the 2008 presidential election while aboard the space
station thanks to a special Texas law that allows astronauts in orbit to
participate in local elections in Houston, Texas. He has lived aboard the station
since last October, with Magnus joining his Expedition 18 crew a month later.
Today's
inauguration, like any major news event, was beamed up to the space station
from Mission Control live when possible, NASA
spokesperson Kylie Clem told SPACE.com from the Johnson Space Center in
Houston. A constant signal is not always possible as the space station orbits the Earth, she added.
"The
activities today, as much as possible, were being uplinked live," said Clem,
adding that Fincke and his crew had the option of looking in on the news during
the occasional break from their workday. "It will also be recorded and uploaded
later so they can look at it then."
Astronauts
have lived aboard the International Space Station since October 2000, making
Obama's inauguration the third to be witnessed from the orbiting laboratory
following the 2001 and 2005 inaugurations of President George W. Bush.
Fincke said
he, Magnus and their Russian crewmate Yury Lonchakov were also excited to see
TV coverage of the Inaugural
Parade today. Their most recent visitors, NASA's STS-126 astronaut crew of
the space shuttle Endeavour, will be marching in the parade along with a new
moon rover prototype.
Magnus
arrived at the space station last November with the STS-126 crew to replace NASA
astronaut Greg Chamitoff, who returned to Earth aboard Endeavour.
"The next
best thing to being in the parade will be to watch it from the comfort of our
own space station," Fincke told Mission Control.
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