NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, who is currently stuck on the International Space Station (ISS), has reported some really strange noises coming from Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. The noises are so odd that neither Wilmore nor the experts on the ground can figure out what’s causing them.
Here’s the situation: Wilmore and fellow astronaut Suni Williams arrived at the ISS in June aboard the Starliner, which was making its first crewed flight. Unfortunately, the spacecraft has run into serious trouble. It has malfunctioning thrusters and helium leaks, which means it can’t safely return to Earth. Because of this, Wilmore and Williams are stuck on the ISS until a SpaceX Dragon capsule can pick them up next year.
On Saturday, Wilmore called mission control in Texas and described a weird noise coming from the Starliner. He even held his microphone up to a speaker so mission control could hear it. The noise sounded like a repetitive, gong-like pulse, almost like a sonar ping.
Mission control acknowledged hearing the sound and asked Wilmore to play it again. After hearing it, they were just as puzzled as he was. Wilmore ended the call by saying, “Alright, over to you. Call us if you figure it out.”
The strange noise was caught by American meteorologist Rob Dale, who posted the recording online for space enthusiasts to hear. The unusual sounds and the spacecraft’s ongoing issues have added to the drama of the Starliner’s troubled mission.
Before launching in June, Boeing’s Starliner faced numerous delays and cost overruns, totaling $1.5 billion. It was originally meant to fly with astronauts in 2017 but kept getting postponed due to technical problems. The spacecraft had multiple helium leaks and thruster issues even before the astronauts reached the ISS.
Although Boeing says the Starliner is safe enough to get the astronauts home eventually, NASA has decided to use a SpaceX Dragon capsule for their return. The Starliner will be sent back to Earth empty.
So, what’s causing those mysterious noises? Right now, no one knows. But one thing’s for sure: this space adventure is far from ordinary!
