NASA Astronauts Stuck in Space Station: NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are having an unusual experience aboard the International Space Station (ISS). They arrived at the ISS on June 5, 2024, in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft. Their mission was planned to last about a week. However, technical issues with the Starliner have caused delays. Now, their return to Earth has been postponed until February 2025.
The problems started with helium leaks and issues with the spacecraft’s reaction control thrusters. These glitches made it impossible for the Starliner to safely return to Earth. As a result, NASA has had to reschedule their return flight several times. Currently, the Starliner is set to undock from the ISS on September 6, 2024. However, it will not be taking the astronauts back home.
The Starliner’s propulsion system is too damaged to carry the astronauts. This defect means that the spacecraft might crash into Earth’s orbit, posing a risk to the astronauts. Just before the Starliner was scheduled to depart, Wilmore reported hearing strange noises from the spacecraft. He immediately contacted Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
An audio recording of this conversation was made public by meteorologist Rob Dale. In the recording, Wilmore describes the noise as a “pulsating sound” that resembled a “sonar ping.” He asked Mission Control if they could identify the source of the sound. Mission Control responded that they could not hear anything initially. To help them, Wilmore placed his microphone near the Starliner’s speaker to make the sound clearer.
The strange noise led to many speculative theories online. Some people thought it could be from a “nearby Russian submarine,” a “hostile non-human ship,” or even “ghosts in space.” Others joked that it might be “space whales” or an “electronic glitch.” Despite the excitement and theories, NASA engineers have not yet identified the cause of the eerie sound.
While engineers work on finding the source of the noise, the uncrewed Starliner has been set to undock from the ISS and return to Earth on autopilot. If everything goes as planned, the spacecraft will land at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico. NASA plans to live-stream the landing event, allowing people to watch the return of the spacecraft.
Meanwhile, Williams and Wilmore are making the best of their extended stay in space. Besides their regular duties like system tests and spacewalks, they are finding creative ways to pass the time. Their return home is now scheduled for February 2025. They will travel back with two other crew members on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission.
In summary, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are stuck in space due to issues with their Starliner spacecraft. They have reported hearing strange, unexplained noises coming from the Starliner. While engineers investigate the source of these sounds, the astronauts will stay aboard the ISS until their scheduled return in February 2025. The uncrewed Starliner is set to undock from the ISS and attempt a return to Earth, with the landing to be broadcast live.
