00:00Two astronauts are stuck in space right now.
00:05It all started when they heard this creepy, pulsing sound coming from inside their spacecraft.
00:11A noise that shouldn't even be possible in the vacuum of space.
00:15The situation got so strange that their return trip from the International Space Station
00:20was cancelled.
00:21What was supposed to be just a few days in space has turned into 9 months of a real nightmare.
00:29This situation is happening to NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and his colleague Sunita Williams.
00:35On June 5th, 2024, they left Earth with one mission.
00:40To spend about 24 hours traveling aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft until they reach
00:45the space station.
00:47They were supposed to stay there for only 8 days, working alongside the 7 astronauts
00:51and cosmonauts already aboard.
00:54After that, they'd head back to Earth on the Starliner.
00:57Simple as that.
00:58However, just as they were getting ready to return to Earth, something strange happened.
01:03Wilmore started hearing this bizarre noise inside the Starliner capsule.
01:08It sounded like a heartbeat, with steady intervals.
01:17The creepiest part is that space is supposed to be totally silent, since there's no medium
01:22for sound to travel through.
01:24There are no atoms or molecules to carry a sound wave, so there's no sound or echo.
01:30And no one can hear you scream.
01:32It is just total silence.
01:35So there's no way those weird sounds could be coming from outside the spaceship.
01:40The situation got pretty concerning, as the noise just wouldn't stop.
01:45On top of that, the astronauts couldn't figure out where it was coming from.
01:48I mean, they knew it was coming from a speaker inside the capsule, but they had no clue what
01:53was causing it.
01:55So they decided to ask the experts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for help.
02:01Before we continue, it's important to know that odd sounds in spaceships aren't uncommon.
02:07Back in 1969, when the Apollo Mission 10 entered lunar orbit, astronauts said they heard a
02:13mysterious music coming from the far side of the moon.
02:18It was like a whistling sound that lasted almost an hour.
02:21It was so bizarre that they thought no one would believe them.
02:26Specialists think the sound was caused by radio interference, maybe from a magnetic
02:29field or atmosphere.
02:32But here's the thing.
02:33The moon has no magnetic field and not enough atmosphere to cause these sounds.
02:38So the mystery still stands.
02:42Something similar happened back in 2003.
02:45Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei was on his first trip to space, alone, aboard a tiny spacecraft,
02:53when he started hearing something weird.
02:55It sounded like someone knocking on the spaceship's body, almost like knocking on an iron bucket
03:01with a wooden hammer.
03:03But what was even stranger was that the sound didn't seem to come from either outside or
03:08inside the spacecraft.
03:10Liwei never figured out what it was, not even after returning to Earth.
03:16The situation was eerie enough to freak him out, probably just like what happened to Wilmore
03:21and Williams.
03:22But in the case of the NASA astronauts, it looks like they found an answer to the creepy
03:27sound.
03:28According to the team at Mission Control, the sound was probably just a technical issue.
03:33They think it's a speaker feedback loop between the space station and the Starliner.
03:38So that sounds like great news, right?
03:41Well, not exactly.
03:43Their problems were far from over.
03:45The audio issue was definitely a concern for the team at the Johnson Space Center, but
03:49honestly, there were a lot of other technical issues going on with their spaceship.
03:55Even before the launch, experts noticed a small but persistent helium leak.
04:01This could be a big problem because this gas powers the thrusters, which control the spacecraft's
04:06orientation, speed, and trajectory.
04:09But in this case, the specialists thought, nah, it'll be fine.
04:13The leak was at an acceptable level and posed little risk to the mission's success.
04:18So they decided to go ahead with the launch.
04:21But then things got worse.
04:24Once the astronauts were in space, specialists noticed another helium leak, then another,
04:29and another.
04:31In the end, they found five leaks, which had the mission managers pretty worried.
04:35So they urgently contacted Wilmore and Williams.
04:39The astronauts were about to go to sleep when they got the order to shut down two valves
04:43on the spacecraft.
04:45That way, it would be safe again and still have plenty of helium left to get them home.
04:51And when they thought it was all over, turns out it wasn't.
04:55The Starliner also had issues with the thruster control system.
04:59The capsule had 28 small thrusters, and five of them had technical problems at some point
05:04during their trip.
05:06Four of the thrusters were fixed pretty quickly, but one of them never worked again.
05:12So first, there were the helium leaks.
05:14Then the thrusters weren't working properly.
05:17And now, there's this weird pulsing sound coming from inside the spacecraft.
05:22It seems like the problems with the Starliner just kept piling up.
05:26Suddenly, it became way too risky to bring the astronauts home.
05:29That's why NASA decided to cancel their return trip.
05:33Actually, they delayed it, extending their 8-day stay on the space station to 9 months.
05:39So far, they're expected to come back to Earth in March 2025.
05:43But it's hard to say for sure, since this date has already been pushed back before.
05:49What we know for sure is that both astronauts are stuck in space right now, waiting for
05:54the NASA SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to bring them back to Earth.
05:59Until then, they're sharing their floating home, which is about the size of a 6-bedroom
06:04house with 7 other people.
06:08Being stuck in an orbiting laboratory and unable to get home is definitely a desperate
06:12and suffocating situation for most of us.
06:16But it looks like they're handling it pretty well.
06:18Both of them had already done two long-duration stays in orbit before.
06:22So despite their families, both astronauts are used to it.
06:26And they said they're grateful for the extra time in space.
06:31Before the mission began, NASA also made sure they understood all the risks of the flight,
06:36including the chance they might have to stay at the station longer than planned.
06:41That's why both Wilmore and Williams fully supported the new date for their return to
06:46Earth.
06:47And they've been keeping their minds pretty busy up there, doing a lot of scientific work.
06:51One thing they're really focused on is looking after the plant facility at the space station.
06:56Their team is testing different techniques to see how they could help crops grow outside
07:00Earth.
07:01Figuring out how plants grow in space and making sure they get the right amount of water
07:06and nutrients is really important, especially as space travels keep going farther and farther
07:12beyond the moon.
07:13A lot of people are concerned about their safety and health.
07:17But there's no need to worry, they're completely fine.
07:20Stays on the space station usually last about 6 months or more.
07:24Also, the place is well-stocked with everything the crew needs, including food, water, clothes,
07:30and oxygen.
07:32NASA and its partners often send missions with extra supplies to make sure everyone
07:36feels safe and taken care of.
07:39If Wilmore and Williams feel homesick and have some free time, they can always email,
07:44call, or video chat with their family and friends.
07:47The Boeing Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth on September 2024, but it came back
07:53empty.
07:54Without Wilmore and Williams on board.
07:57It traveled in autonomous mode after undocking from the space station.
08:01The Starliner re-entered Earth's atmosphere after 6 hours of travel, using parachutes
08:06to slow its descent before landing at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.
08:11The landing was a success, but NASA specialists wish it could have gone as originally planned.
08:16I mean, with Williams and Wilmore on board.
08:19Now, all we can do is hope they have a safe trip home.
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