NASA Explains 'Strange Noise' Heard From Boeing Starliner Spacecraft

Storyful

NASA has revealed a strange ‘pulsing sound’ heard coming from the Boeing Starliner spacecraft on Saturday, August 31, was caused by feedback from a speaker.

Astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore contacted NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas, on Saturday to ask about the sounds heard coming from the Starliner while the spacecraft was docked to the International Space Station.

“There’s a strange noise coming through the speaker…I don’t know what’s making it,” Wilmore says, in the audio released by NASA.

“Alright Butch, that one came through it was kind of like a pulsating noise, almost like a sonar ping,” a man replies.

In a statement provided to Storyful, NASA said the pulsing sound had been caused by 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,” the statement said.

“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, Sept. 6,” the NASA statement concluded.

NASA said the pulsating sound had since stopped. Credit: NASA via Storyful

Video Transcript

It's not too, I got a question about the Starliner Houston's with you but go ahead.

Uh, the, there's a strange noise coming through the speaker and I didn't know if you could connect into the Starliner and let me, uh, key the mic and let you hear.

I don't, I don't know what, what's making it, but, uh, I don't know if it's something that maybe is connected, uh, between here and there making that happen.

But, uh, anyway, can you do that?

Mhm.

And we can configure that but give us a minute and I'll call you back when it's ready.

Ok. Mhm.

Station Houston on two.

We configured for audio via Hardline and CST if you want to give us a call.

Ok.

I'm in, uh, I'm in Starliner.

And how do you reach five by five?

How many?

That's fine.

Ok.

I'm gonna put, I'm gonna key the mic up next to the speaker.

Copy you there.

Negative butch, we did not hear anything.

Ok. All right.

But that one came through, it was kind of like a pulsating noise, almost like a sonar ping.

Yeah, I'll do it one more time and I'll scratch your heads and see if you can figure out what's going on.

Here we go.

Hi, how are you?

How was, uh, you figure it out?

Yep.

Good recording.

Thanks.

Butch.

We will pass it on to the team and let you know what we find and, but just to make sure I'm on the same page, this is emanating from the speaker in starliner.

You don't notice anything else, any other noises, any other weird config in there up from the speaker and I have nothing else.

Everything else.

Ok, thank you.

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