英文：
With a quick computer key stroke, space station astronaut Leroy Chiao became the first American to vote for president from space, casting an encrypted ballot via e-mail and urging fellow countrymen to go to the polls Tuesday.
"It was just a small thing for me, but it is important symbolically to show that every vote does count," Chiao said from the international space station a few hours after the polls opened 225 miles below.
Chiao, 44, sent in his ballot Sunday night -- "Halloween night and maybe that's kind of appropriate."
"I thought long and hard about it over the weekend, made my final decision and Sunday night went ahead and cast the ballot and pushed the send button," he said to the reporter. "It was a neat moment."
His ballot traveled via a secure e-mail connection to Mission Control in Houston, which forwarded it to the Galveston County clerk's office in Texas, where Chiao normally resides. He was living in Russia before his launch three weeks ago from Kazakhstan, training for this six-month space station mission.
Only one other American has voted before from space: astronaut David Wolf aboard Russia's Mir space station in 1997, thanks to a state law signed that year by Texas' then-governor -- President Bush. The 1997 ballot included the Houston mayoral race, other city offices and local issues.
Chiao said he considered all the issues facing the nation -- not just the future of the space program -- in deciding whom to vote for. He said the choice was private.
Both candidates seem to support space exploration, Chiao said. He expressed hope that regardless of whether Bush or Sen. John Kerry wins, the moon and Mars initiative announced by the president in January will keep going "and I'll be hoping to be a part of it."
The son of Chinese immigrants, Chiao feels too many Americans take the right to vote for granted.
"People in my ancestry haven't always had the right to vote and it's something that kind of hits home for me," he said.
The astronaut, who is sharing the space station with Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov, does not expect to learn the outcome of the election until he wakes up Wednesday morning. An early wake-up call usually conveys bad news, he said, "so this is something that can wait until the morning."
中文：
隨著焦立中飛快地按下計(jì)算機(jī)按鍵，身為國(guó)際空間站宇航員的他成為第一位在太空參加總統(tǒng)選舉的美國(guó)人。星期二（11月2日），他用電子郵件的方式發(fā)送了一張加密選票，并號(hào)召美國(guó)同胞們參加投票。
投票活動(dòng)開(kāi)始幾小時(shí)后，焦立中在位于225英里高空的國(guó)際宇宙空間站說(shuō)：“這對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)只是一件小事，但卻具有重大的象征意義，因?yàn)檫@表明每一張選票都很重要?！?BR> 現(xiàn)年44歲的焦立中是在周日晚上寄出選票的，他說(shuō)：“萬(wàn)圣節(jié)的夜晚或許是個(gè)合適的時(shí)機(jī)?！?BR> 他對(duì)記者說(shuō)：“周末我考慮了很久，然后做出了后的決定。周日晚上，我毫不猶豫地投了一票并按下了發(fā)送鍵。這一刻其實(shí)很簡(jiǎn)單?！?BR> 他的選票通過(guò)安全電郵連接“旅行”到休斯敦宇航任務(wù)控制中心，隨后轉(zhuǎn)到德克薩斯州加爾維斯頓縣的選舉辦公室，加爾維斯頓縣是焦立中通常居住的地方。三周前，焦立中在哈薩克斯坦被送入太空，之前他住在俄羅斯，為長(zhǎng)達(dá)六個(gè)月的空間站任務(wù)接受培訓(xùn)。
在此之前，只有一個(gè)美國(guó)人在太空參加過(guò)投票，他就是1997年在俄羅斯的米爾空間站上投票的宇航員大衛(wèi)·沃爾夫，這要多虧當(dāng)年的德克薩斯州州長(zhǎng)、后來(lái)的布什總統(tǒng)1997年簽署的一項(xiàng)州立法規(guī)。1997年的投票包括選舉休斯頓市長(zhǎng)、其他市屬職位和當(dāng)?shù)氐囊恍┳h題。
焦立中表示，在決定給誰(shuí)投票時(shí)，他考慮了國(guó)家面臨的所有情況，而不僅僅是空間項(xiàng)目的前景。他說(shuō)這個(gè)選擇完全是他的個(gè)人行為。
焦立中說(shuō)，這兩名候選人似乎都支持空間探索活動(dòng)。他表示，不管后是總統(tǒng)布什還是參議員克里贏，他都希望總統(tǒng)一月份宣布的月球和火星計(jì)劃能夠繼續(xù)進(jìn)行下去。他說(shuō)：“我希望能成為（該計(jì)劃的）一份子?！?BR> 焦立中是中國(guó)移民的兒子，他感到太多的美國(guó)人認(rèn)為選舉權(quán)是理所當(dāng)然的。
他說(shuō)：“我的家人以前一直沒(méi)有選舉權(quán)，所以對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)選舉權(quán)有很深遠(yuǎn)的意義?！?BR> 焦立中和俄羅斯宇航員薩禮贊·沙利波夫共享空間站，他并沒(méi)有在星期三早上醒來(lái)之前期望得知大選結(jié)果。過(guò)早喚醒我們的鈴聲一般不會(huì)帶來(lái)什么好消息，他說(shuō)：“因此等到早晨再知道結(jié)果也不晚?！?BR> 詞匯：
encrypt: to scramble access codes to (computerized information) so as to prevent unauthorized access（加密，設(shè)成密碼）
take sth. for granted : 認(rèn)為……理所當(dāng)然
hits home : 打中要害；使深受觸動(dòng); 觸及痛處