Former astronaut Mike Massimino believes all Americans should exercise their right to vote this November ... especially if his peers stuck in space can pull it off.
We caught up with the former NASA employee in NYC, where he weighed in on Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams' plans to vote on Election Day via absentee ballots. As Mike put it, Butch and Suni's situation shouldn't exempt them from their civic duty ... praising the astronauts for setting a "good example."
He noted ... "Everyone should be voting. I'm glad they'll be voting ... Look, if my friends can do it from space then all the rest of us here can certainly do it on Planet Earth."
Butch and Suni went viral this summer when it was revealed they'd be stuck in space until at least February 2025 -- significantly longer than their original 8-day plan -- due to issues with their spacecraft.
The 2 astronauts are making the most of their time up there, however. They confirmed to reporters last week they've made plans to vote, having already requested their absentee ballots.
When we spoke with Mike, he took a moment to praise Suni and Butch for "working hard" during their extended stay ... and noted the 2 were doing just fine despite the setback.
He added ... "A lot of people pay a lot of money to go and do this. They get paid to do it through their jobs as government employees. It's a great experience. I wish I was with them."
Yet, as Mike told us, he's grounded for the foreseeable future. Sounds like he'll be voting though!