NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore has reported hearing unusual noises coming from Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft, which has left him and his colleague Sunita Williams stranded in space for eight months instead of returning home after their planned week-long mission in June.
Wilmore contacted NASA’s mission control to report a strange pulsating sound originating from the Starliner spacecraft, currently docked to the International Space Station (ISS).
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Subscribe to the NewsletterHe mentioned that the source of the noise, heard over the station’s loudspeaker, was unclear and requested assistance in identifying it. Mission controllers asked Wilmore to hold the microphone up to the speaker so they could analyze the sound.
After listening, they noted that the pulsating noise resembled a sonar signal.
The investigation into the source of the sound is ongoing, but initial theories suggest that it could be caused by a feedback loop between the ISS and the Starliner spacecraft.
Strange noises in space are not unheard of, with astronauts having reported similar experiences on several occasions in the past.
The Starliner has faced persistent issues with its propulsion system since its arrival at the ISS on June 6. Due to these problems, NASA made the critical decision in late August to send the spacecraft back to Earth without Wilmore and Williams on September 6.
The two NASA astronauts are now expected to remain on the ISS until around February next year, when they will return home aboard a SpaceX spacecraft.
