Starliner is set to undock from the International Space Station, just days away, but crew members may still uncover some unexpected surprises before departure, despite ongoing preparations.
On Saturday, astronaut Butch Wilmore alerted NASA’s Mission Management to an unexplained “unusual noise” emanating from a speaker within the spacecraft, as captured in a dialogue excerpt shared on a discussion board by meteorologist Rob Dale. As it commences around the 45-second marker, the melody unfolds to a soothing cadence. Wilmore admitted he was stumped about the cause of the issue.
NASA officials have confirmed in a recent press statement that the unusual noise emanating from the International Space Station (ISS) has ceased, attributing the anomaly to an audio configuration issue between the spacecraft and the Starliner capsule, which was announced on Monday. It was straightforward speaker recommendations grounded in the company’s organizational structure.
The unusual noise persisted over the weekend, leaving me somewhat perplexed. After verifying with Mission Management on Saturday that they might detect the sound as well, as soon as Wilmore introduced his mic to the speaker, Houston’s flight controller observed: “It was a type of pulsing noise, akin to a sonar ping.” Wilmore then allowed it to play for an additional 20 seconds before concluding the transmission. “Can you confirm you’re seeing the same data as the speaker in Starliner?” the Mission Management team asked. “Are you seeing anything unusual or extraneous signals?”
NASA clarified the issue with Thierry Chan on Monday, stating that the space agency’s house station audio system is sophisticated enough to integrate multiple spacecraft and modules, but this complexity can sometimes lead to unexpected noise or static. After a brief anomaly involving unusual sounds emanating from the communication system, the crew was instructed to reach out to mission control for further guidance. The situation did not impact the crew’s safety or the scheduled departure of Starliner.
Since early June, the Boeing spacecraft has remained docked at the International Space Station, with engineers working diligently to resolve the issues that emerged during its inaugural crewed mission. When the Starliner spacecraft departs for Earth on September 6, it will be abandoning its crew – comprising NASA astronauts Bobbie Wilmore and Suni Williams – at the International Space Station (ISS), where they will remain to conduct their duties over the next few months until their scheduled return in February 2025.
The latest developments have been integrated into the narrative, incorporating a press release and clarification from NASA.
