The mystery surrounding a “strange noise” heard by a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station has been solved, Fox News reports, citing the space agency.
Astronaut Butch Wilmore first reported the pulsing sound coming from a speaker inside the Boeing Starliner spacecraft to Mission Control on Saturday, just days before its scheduled return to Earth.
NASA determined the feedback was caused by an audio configuration issue between the space station and Starliner, a complex system that allows multiple spacecraft and modules to be interconnected.
“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 stated in a social media post. “The crew is asked to contact mission control when they hear sounds originating in the comm system.”
NASA reassured the public that the speaker feedback had no impact on the crew’s safety, Starliner operations, or the space station.
The pulsing sound incident occurred as Starliner was set to undock from the station empty and attempt an autonomous return to Earth, landing in the New Mexico desert. Wilmore and astronaut Suni Williams, who have been aboard the station since June, will remain in space until February after NASA deemed it too risky to bring them back on Starliner. The current plan is to bring them back to Earth in a SpaceX capsule.
The Starliner mission, initially planned as a weeklong trip, has been plagued by setbacks including thruster failures and helium leaks. Boeing had hoped for a successful first crew trip to revive the troubled Starliner program, which has faced delays and cost overruns.
Despite the challenges, Boeing has maintained that Starliner is safe based on recent thruster tests.
