NASA reveals source of mystery noises reported by stranded astronauts after pulsing on spacecraft

NASA has revealed the source of mystery noises reported by stranded astronauts after an 'eerie' pulsing was hard on the spacecraft.

In an audio recording of the exchange with staff on the ground at Mission Control at Johnson Space Centre, the astronaut holds up a phone to the speakers. After initially being inaudible, a pulsating sound emanating at steady intervals can be heard through Wilmore's device.

It came just days before Boeing 's Starliner is set to return to Earth on autopilot, Butch Wilmore radioed Mission Control telling Houston they had a problem. Now NASA say they have detected the source of the strange noise, saying in a statement: "The feedback from the speaker was the result of an audio configuration between the space station and the Starliner.

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"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 speaker feedback Wilmore reported has no technical impact on the crew, Starliner, or station operations.”

Last week, NASA decided it was it’s too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing’s troubled new capsule, and they’ll have to wait until next year for a ride home with SpaceX. What should have been a week-long test flight for the pair will now last more than eight months.

The seasoned pilots have been stuck at the International Space Station since the beginning of June. A cascade of vexing thruster failures and helium leaks in the new capsule marred their trip to the space station, and they ended up in a holding pattern as engineers conducted tests and debated what to do about the flight back.

After almost three months, the decision finally came down from NASA’s highest ranks on Saturday. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will come back in a SpaceX capsule in February. Their empty Starliner capsule will undock in early September and attempt to return on autopilot with a touchdown in the New Mexico desert.

As Starliner’s test pilots, the pair should have overseen this critical last leg of the journey. “A test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The decision “is a result of a commitment to safety.”

Nelson said lessons learned from NASA’s two space shuttle accidents played a role. This time, he noted, open dialogue was encouraged rather than crushed.

“This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one,” added Jim Free, NASA’s associate administrator.

It was a blow to Boeing, adding to the safety concerns plaguing the company on its airplane side. Boeing had counted on Starliner’s first crew trip to revive the troubled spacecraft program after years of delays and ballooning costs. The company had insisted Starliner was safe based on all the recent thruster tests both in space and on the ground.

Boeing did not participate in Saturday’s news conference by NASA, but released a statement: “Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and spacecraft.” The company said it is preparing the spacecraft “for a safe and successful return.”