INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION ACOUSTIC MEASUREMENT PROGRAM (ISS
ACOUSTICS)
Research Area: Technology Development and Demonstration: Air, Water, and
Surface Monitoring
Expedition(s): 1-ongoing
Principal Investigator(s): ● Christopher S. Allen, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The International Space Station Acoustic Measurement Program (ISS Acoustics) is responsible
for ensuring a safe, healthy, and habitable acoustic environment on the ISS in which crews can
live, communicate, and work. This means ensuring that space vehicle environments are not too
noisy, do not have irritating audible sounds, and do not have startling bursts of acoustic energy.
EARTH BENEFITS
Data resulting from measuring acoustics on the ISS are useful in other extreme environments
on Earth, such as submarines or underwater laboratories.
SPACE BENEFITS
Information from ISS Acoustics is used to ensure safe and habitable noise levels for crew
members living and working aboard the ISS. ISS Acoustics data are used to compare with noise
level predictions for upcoming spaceflight missions.
RESULTS
The ISS presents a significant acoustics challenge considering
all of the modules and equipment that make it an in-orbit
laboratory and home with long-duration crew occupation. The
acoustic environment aboard the ISS has become one of the
highest crew habitability concerns. The acoustics mission
support function, including training, mission control support,
and data analysis, is necessary to monitor crew exposure and
ensure that the crew members’ hearing is not at risk. Without
accurate in-orbit data, all preventative ground efforts are
rendered ineffective. Mission monitoring and support is
critical to the control and mitigation of acoustic noise on the
ISS. ISS Acoustics preserves crew members’ hearing and
provides for a safe, productive, and comfortable noise
environment (Limardo 2011).The Acoustics Office at Johnson Space Center (JSC) performs
valuable management oversight over acoustic activities. The
JSC acoustics team provides beneficial support of modules, payloads, and government
furnished equipment requirements definition, design and development, consultation, and
applies proactive efforts to help hardware providers achieve compliance (Allen 2011). The
ISS005E12372 – Flight Engineer
Sergei Treschev takes
measurements with a sound level
meter in the US laboratory during
Expedition 5. NASA image.