Stranded astronauts Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore receive chilling warning from ex-ISS commander: 'I'd prefer not to…'

Stranded astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on Saturday reported strange noises inside their Starliner spacecraft, raising concerns among space fans.

After “strange noise” were heard from inside Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore's Starliner spacecraft, NASA confirmed that the noise was an audio configuration issue between the space station and Starliner.

In June, the spacecraft brought Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the ISS. However, their stay in space has been extended as NASA declared that it would be too dangerous to bring the astronauts to Earth on the malfunctioning Starliner. (AFP)

Several space fans, including former astronaut Chris Hadfield, expressed worries over the astronauts' situation and strange noises emitted by the Boeing Starliner.

The “strange noises” generated by the vessel went viral on social media after the on-board crew reported them.

Hadfield, the commander of the ISS in 2013, took to X and wrote: “There are several noises I'd prefer not to hear inside my spaceship, including this one that Starliner is now making.”

Netizens express worries despite NASA's clarification

Meanwhile, NASA in its statement said: “The space station audio system is complex, allowing multiple spacecraft and modules to be interconnected, and it is common to experience noise and feedback.”

NASA clarified that the “pulsing sound” has already stopped, but that hasn't prevented social media trolls from coming up with some bizarre and horrifying notions.

While some alarmed netizens compared the sonar sounds to a “horrorshow”, others assessed the significance of Hadfield's statements in light of his experience off planet.

One X user commented: “You saying this hits a lot differently than nearly anyone else saying this.”

“That is some Stanley Kubrick level horrorshow right there,” another wrote, while the third user said, “Time to cut that thing loose if it can be remotely controlled to be sent into deep space. If it's totally inert...not good. Please keep us updated.”

On Saturday morning, Wilmore confirmed the weird noise and radioed Mission Control at Johnson Space Center to inquire about the mysterious noises emanating from the Starliner's speakers.

A few minutes later, Mission Control radioed back to verify the sounds Butch was referring to. “It was kind of like a pulsating noise, almost like a sonar ping,” they stated.

In June, the spacecraft brought Wilmore and Williams to the ISS for a eight day trip. At a news conference held on August 24, NASA representatives declared that it would be too dangerous to bring the astronauts to Earth on the malfunctioning Starliner.