NASA Astronaut Discovers Strange Sound Coming From Starliner Spacecraft
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore recently encountered an unusual situation aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, currently docked at the International Space Station (ISS). On Saturday, Wilmore heard a strange noise coming from a speaker on the spacecraft. He wasn’t sure where it was coming from, so he radioed the problem to mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. “I have a question about Starliner,” Wilmore said. “There’s a strange noise coming from the speaker. … I don’t know what’s causing it.” His uncertainty suggested that the noise could be related to the connection between the ISS and the spacecraft or something else entirely.
Quickly reacting, mission control connected via hard line to listen to the audio on Starliner. Wilmore, floating in the spacecraft, held his microphone up to the speaker, allowing the control team to hear the sound firsthand. The sound, which came through clearly, was described by the ground team as a “pulsing sound, almost like a sonar ping.” After re-recording the sound, Wilmore reported the situation to flight controllers and asked them to investigate further.
Possible explanations and historical context
The exact cause of the noise coming from the Starliner spacecraft has now been identified and resolved, according to NASAThe pulsating feedback from the speaker is believed to be caused by an audio configuration between the ISS and the spacecraft. The space agency says experiencing noise and feedback is common due to the complex nature of the space station’s audio system, which connects multiple spacecraft and modules.
Despite the problem, the space agency says there are no consequences for the crew, space station operations or the Starliner.
The problem came at a time when Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft was already under intense scrutiny. The spacecraft had faced several technical challenges, including significant helium leaks and failed thrusters during its first crewed flight, resulting in multiple delays to the astronauts’ return to Earth.
