“There is a strange noise coming from the speaker… I don’t know what causes it“: it seems like the incipit of a science fiction book, but it is actually the communication received from NASA mission control by the astronaut Butch Wilmorestationed on the International Space Station.
The astronaut, in a recording that you can listen to below, informs NASA that he hears through the speakers a bizarre pulsating sound which occurs at regular intervals coming from the Boeing Starliner capsule. There really seems to be no peace for this unfortunate spacecraft, which has been the victim of malfunctions that have prevented astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams from returning to Earth, stranding them on the ISS for 8 months instead of the 10 days of the mission initially planned.
The sound recording immediately began circulating on the internet, quickly becoming viraland unleashing the most bizarre hypotheses about its origin. After a couple of days of imaginative hypotheses, NASA has reassured everyone and shed light on where the sound comes from: it’s simply a matter of interference and feedback between the audio configurations of the space station and the Starliner capsule.
What kind of sound did the astronauts hear?
Saturday 31st Augustthe astronaut Butch Wilmorestranded on the ISS due to malfunctions with Boeing’s Starliner capsule, informed NASA Mission Control in Texas that strange sounds coming from the Starliner capsule. Wilmore then added that the noises were audible through the speakers and have no idea where they came from. The sound was similar to a pulsating noisealmost like a sonar ping, repeating at regular intervals.
The communication would have remained in the NASA archives if it had not been for the meteorologist Rob Dale from Michigan, who intercepted the audio recording and shared it on the NASA Spaceflight (NSF) forum. In the blink of an eye, the audio became viralgenerating the most bizarre theories about the origin of the mysterious noise.
What is the origin of the sound in the shuttle: NASA explains what they are
The mystery was soon solved, however. solved. NASA, in a note sent to Jeff Foust of Space News, explained how the sound was now arrested and also provided an explanation of the origin of the sound itself.
Apparently the pulsating sound heard by astronaut Butch Wilmore was the result of a acoustic feedback between the audio configurations of the ISS and the Starliner capsule. No messages from space then, but simply acoustic interference and noise between the two complex audio systems. NASA also reported that this acoustic feedback It has no impact on the operation of the ISS or Starliner.
When is the Starliner capsule expected to return?
The ill-fated Starliner capsule therefore appears find no peace. It was supposed to provide another commercial route to space, but Boeing’s program will be long delayed after numerous problems plagued the capsule. Helium leaks And problems with control thrusters and maneuvering of the spacecraft have in fact forced NASA to prohibit the return of veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams with the Starliner, scheduled after 10 days of mission. Since there is no backup mission ready for recovery, the two astronauts will have to remain on the ISS for a good 8 months and return with a Space X capsule to February 2025. The Starliner capsule, meanwhile, will automatically return to Earth without a crew, leaving the ISS on September 6th and returning to Earth the next day.
