00:00Two astronauts are currently stuck in space.
00:05It all started when they heard a frightening pulsating noise coming from inside their spacecraft.
00:11A noise that should not even be possible in the vacuum of space.
00:15The situation became so strange that their return trip from the International Space Station was canceled.
00:22What was supposed to be a few days in space, turned into 9 months of a real nightmare.
00:29This situation is that of the astronauts of NASA Butch Wilmore and his colleague Sunita Williams.
00:35On June 5, 2024, they left Earth with a mission.
00:40Spend about 24 hours on board the Starliner spacecraft from Boeing to reach the space station.
00:46They then had to stay there for only 8 days, alongside the 7 astronauts already on board.
00:52After that, they had to return to Earth, again with the Starliner spacecraft.
00:56Nothing easier in appearance.
00:58However, as they were about to return to Earth, something strange was happening there.
01:03Wilmore began to hear a strange noise inside the Starliner capsule.
01:08It sounded like a heartbeat, with regular intervals.
01:17What is frightening is that space is supposed to be totally silent,
01:21given that there is no environment for sound to propagate.
01:24There are no atoms or molecules to transport a sound wave, so there is no sound or echo.
01:30Nobody will hear you scream.
01:32It is total silence.
01:34It was therefore impossible for these strange noises to come from outside the spacecraft.
01:40The situation became very worrying, because the noise did not stop.
01:44In addition, the astronauts could not determine where it came from.
01:48They knew it came from a loudspeaker inside the capsule.
01:52But they had no idea what caused it.
01:55They therefore decided to ask the experts at the Johnson Space Center in Houston for help.
02:01Before continuing, it is important to know that strange sounds in spaceships are not uncommon.
02:07In 1969, when the Apollo 10 mission entered lunar orbit,
02:12the astronauts said they heard a mysterious music coming from the hidden side of the Moon.
02:18It was like a whistle that lasted about an hour.
02:21It was so strange that they said no one would believe them.
02:25According to the experts, the sound could have been caused by radio interference,
02:29perhaps due to magnetic fields or the atmosphere.
02:32But, here it is, the Moon has no magnetic field,
02:35and not enough atmosphere for sounds to propagate there.
02:39The mystery remains whole.
02:42Something similar happened in 2003.
02:45Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei made his first space trip.
02:50Alone, aboard a tiny spacecraft, when he began to hear something strange,
02:55it would have been said that someone was hitting the hull of his ship.
02:58A bit like someone hitting a metal bucket with a wooden hammer.
03:03But what was even stranger,
03:05is that the sound did not seem to come from outside or inside the vehicle.
03:10Liwei could never determine what it was, even after his return to Earth.
03:16But the situation was strange enough to make him panic.
03:19And that's probably what happened to Wilmore and Williams.
03:22But in the case of NASA astronauts,
03:25it seems that an explanation has finally been found.
03:28According to the mission control center team,
03:30the sound was probably linked to a technical problem.
03:33They think it was a retroactive loop of speakers
03:37between the space station and the Starliner spacecraft.
03:40Rather satisfying, isn't it?
03:42Well, not really.
03:44Their troubles were just beginning.
03:47This sound problem obviously worried the Johnson Space Center team.
03:51But in truth, there were quite a few other technical problems on board this ship.
03:55Even before its launch,
03:57experts had noticed a small persistent helium leak.
04:01This could be a big problem,
04:03because this gas feeds the propellers that control the orientation,
04:06speed and trajectory of the shuttle.
04:09But in this case, the specialists had said that everything would be fine.
04:13The leak was not too important
04:15and did not risk compromising the success of the mission.
04:18They had therefore decided to proceed with the launch.
04:21But things got worse.
04:23Once the astronauts in space,
04:25the specialists noticed another helium leak,
04:28then another, and another.
04:30In the end, they found five leaks,
04:32which worried the mission managers a lot.
04:35They therefore urgently contacted Wilmore and Williams.
04:39The astronauts were about to fall asleep
04:41when they received the order to close two valves on the shuttle.
04:45Thus, they would be safe
04:47and would still have enough helium for their return trip.
04:50And when it seemed to them that everything was back in order,
04:53it turned out that this was not the case.
04:55The shuttle also had problems with the propeller control system.
04:59There were 28 of them, small in size,
05:01and five of them had problems at one point or another in their trip.
05:06Four of them were repaired quite quickly,
05:09but the fifth never turned on again.
05:12So, first, there were the helium leaks.
05:15Then, the propellers that did not work properly.
05:18And now, there was this strange pulsating noise
05:21coming from the inside of the ship.
05:23Problems kept accumulating.
05:25Suddenly, bringing the astronauts back to Earth
05:28had become far too risky.
05:30This is why NASA decided to cancel their return trip.
05:33In fact, they postponed their eight-day stay
05:36at the space station to nine months.
05:39They are currently planning to bring them back to Earth in March 2025,
05:43but it is difficult to confirm,
05:45because this date has already been postponed.
05:48What we know with certainty
05:51is that the two astronauts are stuck in space
05:54waiting for NASA's SpaceX Dragon shuttle to bring them back to Earth.
05:58In the meantime, they share their floating house,
06:01which is about the size of a six-room house,
06:04with this other person.
06:07Being stuck in a laboratory in orbit
06:10and not being able to go home
06:12is undoubtedly a difficult situation,
06:15but it seems that they manage things pretty well.
06:18Both had already spent two long days in orbit before.
06:22So, even if their families miss them,
06:25our two astronauts are used to it.
06:27They even declared that they were grateful
06:30to be able to spend more time in space.
06:32Before the start of their mission,
06:34NASA had also made sure that they understood all the risks involved,
06:38including the possibility that they would stay in the station longer than expected.
06:42This is why Wilmore and Williams
06:44accepted the new date of their return to Earth without any problem,
06:47and they found something to do up there.
06:49They do a whole range of scientific work.
06:52They focus in particular on the maintenance of the space station,
06:56and they test different techniques
06:58to develop off-Earth farming methods.
07:01It is very important to understand
07:03how plants grow in space
07:05and to ensure that they receive the right amount of water and nutrients.
07:09All the more so because space travel
07:11takes us further and further,
07:13far beyond the Moon.
07:15A lot of people worry about their safety and their health,
07:18but there is no need to fear anything.
07:20They are doing perfectly well.
07:22Staying on board the space station
07:24usually lasts six months or more.
07:26In addition, the place is well supplied.
07:29There is everything the crew needs,
07:31food, water, clothes, and oxygen.
07:34NASA and its partners often carry out missions
07:37with additional supplies
07:39to ensure that everyone feels safe and taken care of.
07:43If Wilmore and Williams have a bad time in the country
07:46and have a little free time,
07:48they can always send emails,
07:50call their families and friends.
07:52The Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth on September 24, 2024.
07:57But it was empty, of course,
07:59without Wilmore and Williams.
08:01It traveled in autonomous mode
08:03after disengaging from the space station.
08:05And it entered the Earth's atmosphere
08:07after six hours of travel,
08:09using parachutes to slow down
08:11before landing at the White Sands Space Harbor
08:14in New Mexico.
08:16The landing was a success,
08:18but NASA specialists would have liked
08:20it to go as planned,
08:22that is, with Williams and Wilmore on board the shuttle.
08:25Now, all we can do
08:27is hope they get home safe and sound.
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