Recently, NASA has responded to complaints of strange sounds heard by astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS), mainly originating from Boeing’s Starliner. The problem was reported by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, who heard pulsating noises through the speakers of the Starliner when the craft is berthed at the ISS.
NASA said that the strange noises were determined to be an audio feedback between the space station and the Starliner spacecraft. NASA then said in a statement that the ISS audio system is a network that connects multiple spacecraft and modules, and the system sometimes produces noise and feedback.
“A pulsing sound from a speaker in Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft heard by NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore aboard the International Space Station has ceased,” NASA said. The feedback from the speaker was due to audio setting between the space station and Starliner. The audio system of the space station is quite elaborate and multiple spacecrafts and modules can be connected to it. As such, noises and feedback are expected.
Wilmore first informed Mission Control in Houston about the sound, which he described as a “pulsing noise, almost like a sonar ping. ” After some investigation, NASA said that the sound did not have any technical implications for the crew, the Starliner spacecraft, or station operations. This includes the planned uncrewed undocking of the Starliner from the International Space Station no earlier than September.
NASA’s clarification on the matter relieves the fact that the feedback reported by Wilmore is not a threat to the operations or the safety of the crew. This elaboration clearly shows that space communication systems are elaborate and thus require constant monitoring and rectification in order to achieve optimal functionality of the mission.
