NASA Addresses "Strange Noises" in Sunita Williams' Starliner Spacecraft

Photo : Reuters

New Delhi: NASA has addressed concerns about "strange noises" reported by astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The issue was initially flagged when Wilmore described hearing unusual pulsating sounds through the speakers of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which is currently docked at the ISS and scheduled to return on September 7.

NASA clarified that these noises resulted from an audio configuration problem between the ISS and the Starliner. In a statement, the agency explained that the ISS's audio system, a complex network designed to interconnect various spacecraft and modules, occasionally experiences noise and feedback. This is a common occurrence and generally does not impact spacecraft operations or crew safety.

The statement from NASA read, “A pulsing sound from a speaker in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft heard by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore aboard the ISS has ceased. The feedback was due to an audio configuration issue between the space station and the Starliner. The ISS audio system is intricate, designed to link multiple spacecraft and modules, and such noise and feedback are not unusual.”

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NASA further assured that the reported speaker feedback had no technical repercussions for the crew, the Starliner spacecraft, or the operations of the ISS. The statement emphasized that, “The crew is instructed to contact mission control if they hear any sounds originating from the communication system. The feedback reported by Wilmore has no effect on the crew, the Starliner, or station operations, including the spacecraft's planned uncrewed undocking from the ISS no earlier than Friday, September 6.”

After undocking, the Starliner will conduct an autonomous landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, approximately six hours post-departure. Astronauts Wilmore and Williams, who arrived at the ISS on June 5 as part of Boeing's Crew Flight Test mission, are scheduled to return to Earth in a SpaceX Dragon capsule in February 2025.