NASA has addressed concerns about “strange noises” heard by astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The noises were initially reported by astronaut Barry Wilmore, who heard pulsating sounds through the speakers of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which is currently docked at the ISS and scheduled to return to Earth on September 7.
NASA’s explanation
NASA clarified that the sounds were due to an audio configuration issue between the ISS and the Starliner spacecraft. The space station’s audio system is designed to connect multiple spacecraft and modules, which can occasionally result in noise and feedback. This type of audio interference is not unusual and does not indicate any technical malfunction.
NASA emphasized that the feedback had no impact on the crew’s safety, the Starliner spacecraft, or the overall operations of the ISS.
“A pulsing sound from a speaker in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft heard by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore aboard the International Space Station has stopped. The feedback from the speaker was the result of an audio configuration between the space station and Starliner. The space station audio system is complex, allowing multiple spacecraft and modules to be interconnected, and it is common to experience noise and feedback,” NASA said in a statement.
Next steps for the Starliner
Following its undocking from the ISS, the Starliner will perform an autonomous landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico approximately six hours after its departure. The astronauts currently aboard the ISS, including Wilmore and Sunita Williams, who arrived 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.
NASA has reassured the public that the audio issue was a minor configuration problem and that all systems, both on the ISS and the Starliner, are operating normally.