Apollo 10 Astronauts Reported Strange Music

[technomage]

Lost Tapes Reveal Apollo Astronauts Heard Unexplained ‘Music’ On Far Side Of The Moon

 

[mike]

This is making TV news on multiple channels in the land down under (where beer does flow and men chunder)

 

[mike]

 

[Mulvaney]

The story has been around for quite some time and is not unexplained. Expat (a former guest here) covers the most recent resurgence in his Emoluments of Mars blog:

"Actually it was quite well explained - by, among others, Michael Collins, CMP of Apollo 11, in his book Carrying the Fire.

'There is a strange noise in my headset now, an eerie woo-woo sound. Had I not been warned about it, it would have scared the hell out of me (...) fortunately the radio technicians had a ready explanation for it: it was interference between the LM's and Command Module's VHF radios.'"

 

[technomage]

The story has been around for quite some time and is not unexplained. Expat (a former guest here) covers the most recent resurgence in his Emoluments of Mars blog:

"Actually it was quite well explained - by, among others, Michael Collins, CMP of Apollo 11, in his book Carrying the Fire.

'There is a strange noise in my headset now, an eerie woo-woo sound. Had I not been warned about it, it would have scared the hell out of me (...) fortunately the radio technicians had a ready explanation for it: it was interference between the LM's and Command Module's VHF radios.'"

According to the unexplained NASA files videos, that explanation doesn't hold water. I haven't investigated it personally to have an opinion one way or another.

 

[Bob Watson]

it may also be Saturn it has a loud and distinctive sound pattern!

 

[stonehart]

According to the unexplained NASA files videos, that explanation doesn't hold water. I haven't investigated it personally to have an opinion one way or another.

Actually I agree with the radio technicians.... Most of you know I am an audio Engineer and I have in fact heard similar interference when you get inter modulation between IEMs (in ear monitors) and radio transmitters.. The old VHF and FM units tended to do this (or even cheap Chinese made UHF units these days can do it).

Not saying I am 100% right here but if I were a betting man I would put my money on this as being the explanation for the strange sounds they were listening to.

 

[stonehart]

it may also be Saturn it has a loud and distinctive sound pattern!

Nice post... yes they could also be picking this sort of thing up on the receivers.. it is possible but I suspect it is an inter modulation problem.

 

[Ian]

Nice post... yes they could also be picking this sort of thing up on the receivers.. it is possible but I suspect it is an inter modulation problem.

I think you're very close to explaining this story. Radio intermodulation requires lots of strong signals from other transmitters. It's a well-known problem in all kinds of communications systems. However, in this case I suspect it's just ordinary feedback from speaker to microphone, (rather than specific intermodulation) if part of the transmission path is not properly muted. I expect NASA engineers have always known this and corrected it on other missions.

Yes, I could be signals from Saturn, but these signals were detected by special receivers looking for very weak signals near Saturn. As we all know, Apollo 10 was nowhere near Saturn. Apollo 10 communications were tuned to some VHF or UHF channel with analogue FM demodulation/modulation (this is only informed speculation - someone please correct me if necessary), so very unlikely to be suitable to receive signals from Saturn!

The story is a fine example of an old, already published, non-story getting traction from scientifically illiterate journalists, which then gets picked up and repeated all over the place without anyone actually examining the facts - which would just spoil the narrative anyway...

 

[Burnt State]

I think you're very close to explaining this story. Radio intermodulation requires lots of strong signals from other transmitters. It's a well-known problem in all kinds of communications systems. However, in this case I suspect it's just ordinary feedback from speaker to microphone, (rather than specific intermodulation) if part of the transmission path is not properly muted. I expect NASA engineers have always known this and corrected it on other missions.

Yes, I could be signals from Saturn, but these signals were detected by special receivers looking for very weak signals near Saturn. As we all know, Apollo 10 was nowhere near Saturn. Apollo 10 communications were tuned to some VHF or UHF channel with analogue FM demodulation/modulation (this is only informed speculation - someone please correct me if necessary), so very unlikely to be suitable to receive signals from Saturn!

The story is a fine example of an old, already published, non-story getting traction from scientifically illiterate journalists, which then gets picked up and repeated all over the place without anyone actually examining the facts - which would just spoil the narrative anyway...

You have one of those avatars that suits your writing personality best - wise humble green sage, patient and highly informative. Thanks for all that & and your acoustic expertise.

Happy Paracast 10th Anniversary.