spacetoday.net: ISS sound likely not caused by collision

Posted: Mon, Dec 1, 2003, 7:02 PM ET (0002 GMT)
ISS illustration (NASA)

The source of an odd noise heard on the International Space Station last week, but project officials said it was unlikely caused by a collision with a piece of orbital debris. The sound, which ISS astronaut Michael Foale compared to the crunching of a tin can, was heard by Foale and Alexander Kaleri early Wednesday, November 26. Engineers are still uncertain of the source of the sound, but contrary to some earlier reports they do not believe that the sound was caused by debris striking the station. External camera views of the Zvezda module, where the sound was heard, show no sign of damage, and the US Defense Department reported tracking no objects on a collision course with the station that day.