NASA responds to the incident of Boeing's Starliner emitting pulsed sounds

Recently, astronauts on board the Starliner spacecraft of Boeing Company in the United States heard strange pulsed sounds coming from the spacecraft, which has attracted widespread attention. NASA responded to this on September 2.

It is understood that American astronaut Barry Wilmore reported on August 31 that he heard "strange noises" from the Starliner. A recording of a conversation shows that Wilmore said he was unsure of the cause of the abnormal sound. He pointed the microphone at the speaker of the Starliner, and then there were regular "thumping" sounds.

NASA posted on social media that the pulsed sounds heard by Wilmore from the speakers of the Starliner spacecraft have stopped. This sound is caused by the audio configuration between the space station and the Starliner. The audio system of the International Space Station is very complex and allows multiple spacecraft to be interconnected with modules, so feedback noises often occur. As required, astronauts should contact the mission control center when they hear sounds from the communication system.

NASA further emphasized that the speaker feedback noise heard by Wilmore has no technical impact on the astronauts, the Starliner or the operation of the space station. The plan for the Starliner to leave the International Space Station without crew and return to Earth no earlier than September 6 is also not affected.

On June 5, 2024, Boeing's Starliner spacecraft carried two American astronauts to the International Space Station. However, due to a series of malfunctions on the spacecraft, the return date has been repeatedly postponed. Previously, the spacecraft had problems such as thruster malfunctions and helium leaks. Foreign media recently reported that the Starliner is expected to return to Earth without crew from the International Space Station on September 6, 2024, while the two astronauts will take SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft to return to Earth in February next year. NASA's response this time has alleviated public concerns about this incident to a certain extent, but the many problems that Boeing's Starliner had previously still raise questions about its safety and reliability.