NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore reported a strange pulsating noise emanating from speakers aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which has been docked to the International Space Station for about three months after abandoning Wilmore and fellow astronaut Suni Williams in space.
Ars Technical Reports The Boeing Starliner spacecraft, currently docked at the International Space Station (ISS), has reportedly started emitting strange noises that have puzzled NASA astronauts and mission control. On Saturday, astronaut Butch Wilmore contacted mission control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to report hearing unusual noises coming from speakers inside the spacecraft.
NEWS 🚨: Astronauts report Boeing Starliner emitting strange 'sonar-like sounds'
Here's the actual audio:
pic.twitter.com/iMuIkFfj6U— Latest from Space (@latestinspace) September 1, 2024
Wilmore, who was likely floating inside the Starliner at the time, moved his microphone closer to the speaker so flight controllers on the ground could hear. Mission Control confirmed they heard a distinctive pulsating sound similar to sonar pings. The astronauts repeated the process, giving ground teams a chance to investigate the source of the mysterious audio.
The Starliner spacecraft will maintain communication with the ISS via a radio frequency system during flight and via an audio-carrying hardline umbilical after docking. While strange sounds are not uncommon in space, as evidenced by the experience of Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei on China's first manned spaceflight in 2003, the sonar-like sounds coming from the Starliner are raising concerns.
Boeing and NASA faced numerous challenges with Starliner's first manned flight, including a massive helium leak and thruster failure during the flight. Just a week ago, NASA announced that the spacecraft would return to Earth without its original crew members, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, due to uncertainty about the spacecraft's viability.
The current plan is for Starliner to return to Earth autonomously on Friday, September 6. Wilmore and Williams are scheduled to return in February next year aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch later this month with just the two astronauts on board.
While the source of the strange noise is likely benign, as Wilmore did not appear to be upset during his communications with Mission Control, the incident adds to the list of problems that have plagued the Starliner program. As Boeing and NASA work to resolve these issues and ensure the safety and reliability of the spacecraft, the space community eagerly awaits more information about the origin of the mysterious sonar-like sounds.
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Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering free speech and online censorship.
