 "Nasa unravels the mystery behind 'strange noises' on space station")
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) has addressed recent reports of "strange noises" heard by astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The unusual sounds were first noticed by Wilmore, who reported hearing pulsating noises through the speakers of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, currently docked at the ISS.
Scheduled to return to Earth on September 7, the Starliner has been at the centre of speculation due to the reported audio anomaly. However, Nasa has clarified that the noises were the result of an audio configuration issue between the ISS and the Starliner, rather than any technical malfunction.
In an official statement, Nasa explained that the ISS audio system is a complex network designed to link multiple spacecraft and modules, making occasional noise and feedback a known occurrence. The agency assured that the feedback experienced posed no risk to the crew, the Starliner spacecraft, or station operations.
"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.
"The crew is asked to contact mission control when they hear sounds originating in the comm system. The speaker feedback Wilmore reported has no technical impact to the crew, Starliner, or station operations, including Starliner's uncrewed undocking from the station no earlier than Friday, September 6," it added.
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After undocking, the Starliner will autonomously land at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, approximately six hours later. Astronauts Wilmore and Williams, who have been aboard the ISS since 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.