On Saturday (Aug. 31) NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore noticed something weird inside the Starliner spacecraft.
Wilmore radioed down to Mission Control to ask about the bizarre noises heard emanating from Starliner’s speakers while the spacecraft is currently docked to the International Space Station (ISS).
“There’s a strange noise coming through the speaker,” Wilmore tells Mission Control “I don’t know what’s making it.”
Wilmore then holds a device to the speakers, allowing Mission Control to hear the pulsating sound occurring at regular intervals.
Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston likens the sound to a “pulsing noise, almost like a sonar ping.”
“A pulsing sound from a speaker in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft heard by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore aboard the International Space Station has stopped,” NASA said.
“The feedback from the speaker was the result of an audio configuration between the space station and Starliner.”
If the crew hears sounds from the communication system, they are asked to contact Mission Control.
Starliner launched on June 5 for its first-ever crewed mission, transporting NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the ISS.
Ultimately, NASA determined that returning Williams and Wilmore on Starliner was too risky.
This coming Saturday, August 1. 31) Butch Wilmore, a NASA astronaut, discovered an oddity within the Starliner spacecraft.
While Starliner is currently docked to the International Space Station (ISS), Wilmore radioed down to Mission Control to inquire about the strange noises coming from the spacecraft’s speakers.
Mission Control is informed by Wilmore, “There’s a strange noise coming through the speaker. I don’t know what’s making it.”. “. .
At that point, Wilmore presses a gadget up to the speakers so that Mission Control can hear the pulsing noise that was happening every so often.
The sound is described as a “pulsing noise, almost like a sonar ping” by Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston. “.
Chris Hadfield, a former Canadian astronaut, offered his thoughts on the matter in a post on X. You can hear Wilmore’s reported strange sound in the post.
Hadfield wrote, “This noise that Boeing Starliner is currently making is one of several noises I’d prefer not to hear inside my spaceship.”.
A recording of the strange sound was first posted on the NASA Spaceflight (NSF) forum by meteorologist Rob Dale, who is based in Michigan. Ars Technica was the first to report on the sound.
Since then, NASA has responded to the circumstances with a press release.
“NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore on board the International Space Station has reported that a pulsing sound from a speaker in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft has stopped,” the agency said. The space station and Starliner’s audio configuration produced the speaker’s feedback. “.”.
According to NASA, noise and feedback are common on the International Space Station (ISS) because of the intricate audio system that connects various spacecraft and modules. The crew is instructed to get in touch with Mission Control if they hear noises coming from the communication system.
“Starliner’s unmanned undocking from the station no earlier than Friday, September 29, is unaffected technically by the speaker feedback Wilmore reported to the crew and Starliner. NASA went on, “6,”.
On June 5, Starliner launched on its maiden crewed mission, carrying Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams of NASA to the International Space Station. June 6 saw the capsule dock successfully. While they looked into a thruster problem, NASA and Boeing repeatedly prolonged the capsule’s stay in orbit, even though the mission was only supposed to last for about ten days.
In the end, NASA decided it was too dangerous to send Williams and Wilmore back on Starliner. The agency declared that in February 2025, the two astronauts would instead make their way back to Earth in a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The Boeing capsule is scheduled to return to Earth without any crew members. The ISS is expected to undock no earlier than 6:04 p.m. M. On September, 2204 GMT/EDT. 6 and touch down in the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico six hours afterwards.
