Excessive noise on spacecraft vehicles can prevent crewmembers from communicating effectively with mission control, prevent the crew from hearing emergency alarms, and contribute to long-term hearing loss. The acoustics office at NASA, Johnson Space Center sets requirements for flight vehicles, provides support for flight hardware development, and conducts testing in the Acoustic and Noise Control Laboratory.
Wyle and its contractor teammates conduct emissions engineering and verification testing on flight prototypes and ground-test hardware, including systems and habitable volumes. They also provide expertise in the uses of acoustic flight materials and provide these flight materials for flight, as required. The laboratory consists of two acoustic testing chambers, acoustic testing instrumentation, and area to prepare hardware or testing and to develop prototypes, and quieting concepts. The lab has data reduction capability and maintains samples of the various acoustic flight materials that are used for noise source isolation, sound blocking and sound absorption.