Two astronauts who are trapped aboard the International Space Station (ISS) until next year have reported hearing strange noises while on board.
On June 5, NASA test pilots Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore and Sunita Williams took a brief flight to the International Space Station. Later that same month, they planned to return to Earth.
However, they ran into difficulties when the new Boeing Starliner capsule that was intended to transport them home developed a variety of mechanical problems.
Wilmore and Williams have consequently spent more than three months trapped on the ISS.
NASA stated in a press conference last month (August 24) that the crew of SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission will pick up the astronauts, with a projected return date of February 2025.
On September 6, the Starliner will undock from the ISS and return to Earth without any passengers.
While the couple is “assured” that NASA will safely return them home, they have reported hearing “strange” noises while in space.
On Saturday (August 31), Butch Wilmore allegedly called Houston’s Johnson Space Center to express his worries.
“I have a question about Starliner.” There’s a strange sound emanating from the speaker, and I’m uncertain if it’s possible to connect to the Starliner. “I’m not sure what’s making it,” he said.
Mission control verified that they could arrange the sound to play, and Wilmore held a phone to the Starliner’s speakers.
They said, “Butch, that one came through. It sounded like a pulsing noise, similar to a sonar ping.
“Thanks for a fantastic recording, Butch. We will forward it to the staff and let you know what we found.”
They inquired once more about whether there was any additional noise and determined that it was coming from the Starliner.
Then, we hear Wilmore telling mission control that he hopes they will “scratch [their] brains and see if you can figure out what’s going on.”
We have not yet found the cause of the noise.
Experts have warned that the trapped astronauts’ prolonged stay in space will have “life-altering” consequences, despite having enough supplies and resources to survive until rescue.
This includes bone density loss, muscular atrophy, changes in cardiac function, visual difficulties, and exposure to high levels of radiation.
The consequences will worsen the longer they remain stranded there.
Rachael Seidler, a professor of applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida, told DailyMail.com that virtually all of the physiological changes observed during human spaceflight appear to be dosage-dependent.
“The longer you’re there, the bigger the change.”