Unexplained noises sound from Boeing's Starliner docked with the ISS
Since yesterday, pulsating sounds have suddenly been heard in Boeing's Starliner space capsule while it is docked to the ISS. The cause is still unknown.
Boeing Starliner at the ISS
(Image: NASA)
One of the two astronauts on Boeing's Starliner noticed a constantly repeating noise inside the space capsule at the weekend. As he could not explain these sounds, he reported them to NASA. The US space agency also has no explanation for the pulsating noises in quick succession, but has promised the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) that it will investigate them more closely.
Starliner astronaut Butch Wilmore was apparently inside the space capsule docked to the ISS when he contacted the space center in Houston. "I have a question about Starliner," he said. "There's a strange noise coming from the loudspeaker ... I don't know what's causing it." He then brings his microphone closer to the speakers so that NASA officials on Earth can hear it too. They describe the sounds as "almost like a sonar ping".
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Although the sounds in space sound eerie at first, there is probably a banal explanation, although they are reminiscent of unsettling noises from science fiction films such as"Alien" and "Event Horizon" or games such as "Resident Evil" (such as the Ganado melody). However, neither the astronaut nor the NASA control center sound worried in any way.
Likely a banal explanation for strange noises
As the sounds do not come directly from the materials of the space capsule, but from the loudspeakers inside the Starliner, it could be an acoustic feedback loop. During the flight to the ISS, the space capsule uses radio signals to communicate with the ISS. Once docked, however, a fixed link is used for audio transmission, writes Ars Technica.
Events of this kind are not likely to be exceptions, but they rarely come to light. However, as the first manned Starliner mission is already fraught with problems, the as yet unexplained noises are another item on a growing list of issues that NASA and Boeing, as the manufacturer of the space capsule, will have to deal with during and after this mission.
Starliner itself is due to return to Earth at the end of this week, on September 6, but the astronauts will have to remain in the ISS until 2025. Due to various problems with the engines, NASA considers a return flight with passengers to be too unsafe. At the end of this month, another mission will set off for the ISS, whose team has been reduced from four to two astronauts. The two Starliner astronauts will then join this mission and return to Earth in a SpaceX space capsule in February 2025.
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