NASA Starliner Sonar Noises ISS
📍 International Space Station (ISS) 🛰️
On Saturday, NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore reported hearing unusual noises emanating from a speaker inside Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which has been docked at the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly three months. During a communication with Mission Control at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Wilmore described the sound as a “strange noise” and asked for further investigation.
Key points of the incident:
– Noise Description and Investigation: Wilmore, uncertain whether the noise was due to a connection issue between the ISS and Starliner or something else, requested Mission Control to listen to the audio. Upon linking via a “hardline,” a distinctive sonar-like ping was heard, prompting Mission Control to acknowledge the sound as “a pulsing noise, almost like a sonar ping.”
– Potential Causes: While the exact cause of the noise remains unclear, similar phenomena have been observed in space. For instance, during China’s first human spaceflight in 2003, astronaut Yang Liwei heard noises attributed to small deformations in the spacecraft due to pressure differences between its inner and outer walls. The noise aboard Starliner might similarly have a benign explanation, potentially related to the spacecraft’s hardware or environmental conditions.
– Context of the Starliner Mission: This development comes amid ongoing challenges for Boeing and NASA concerning Starliner’s debut crewed flight, including helium leaks and failing thrusters. Due to concerns about Starliner’s reliability, NASA recently announced that it would return to Earth autonomously on September 6, 2024, without its original crew of Wilmore and Suni Williams. The astronauts are scheduled to return to Earth next February aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft.
– Public Reaction and Recordings: A Michigan-based meteorologist, Rob Dale, captured and shared a recording of the audio and conversation between Wilmore and Mission Control, adding a layer of intrigue to the already challenging mission of Starliner.
These mysterious noises are being investigated further, but they highlight the complexities and unpredictable nature of space missions.
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