spacetoday.net: Mystery noise heard on ISS, no damage reported

Posted: Thu, Nov 27, 2003, 9:43 AM ET (1443 GMT)
ISS illustration (NASA)

The crew of the International Space Station reported hearing an odd "crunching" noise Wednesday, but neither they nor ground controllers have found any evidence of damage to the orbiting outpost. Michael Foale and Alexander Kaleri reported hearing the noise early Wednesday while in the station's Zvezda module. Foale compared the noise to "a metal tin can kind of being expanded and compressed", adding that the noise lasted about a second. The noise raised concerns that the ISS has been struck by orbital debris, but a check of the station's systems, as well as reconnaissance by cameras mounted on a robotic arm outside the station, turned up no evidence of damage. The AP reported that a spokesman for the Russian Space Forces said that they had detected a small object in the same orbit as the ISS, but that they had determined the object was too small to cause damage to the station. Normally the station maneuvers to avoid any orbital debris that threatens to pass too close to the station.