Stranded astronauts hear mystery 'pings'

Nasa probes strange noises from Starliner

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

TWO Nasa astronauts stranded on the International Space Station have been plagued by peculiar beeping noises from the ill-fated spacecraft they arrived on Just days before Boeing's Starliner is to return to Earth on autopilot, Butch Wilmore radioed Mission Control telling Houston they had a problem.

In an audio recording of his chat with the Johnson Space Center, the astronaut holds up a phone to the speakers.

A pulsating sound emanating at steady intervals can be heard through the 61-year-old's device.

"Butch, that one came through," Mission Control told him after not hearing it the first time.