NASA identified as source of strange night noises
By Kevin Kelley
Fairview Park
Published Oct. 11, 2006

Fairview Park officials have identified a strange nighttime noise several residents inquired about as coming from NASA’s Glenn Research Center.

“We had complaints of some strange noise coming in the middle of the night,” Mayor Eileen Patton said. “After many phone calls to the airport and to NASA, we were able to identify where it was coming from.”

It turns out the noise was testing Glenn was conducting on an F-100 fighter engine at the center’s Propulsion Systems Laboratory. The tests, being run for the Air Force, are intended to address safety issues regarding the engine used on fighter aircraft.

The tests are being run five nights a week, Monday through Friday, during the third shift from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Glenn is conducting the tests during the third shift due to power limitations on the center and to avoid drawing loads during the day that could affect power distribution to area residents.

Glenn officials say the tests are expected to continue at audible frequencies through Thanksgiving or mid-December at the latest.

Patton said she has requested that Glenn officials inform the city of such testing in the future so residents can be informed of any unusual noise. NASA officials agreed to this, she added.

Information regarding the origin of the noise has been posted on the city’s Web site at www.fairviewpark.org.

“We decided to put this info on our marquee (in front of City Hall) last weekend so people know that the noise is from NASA due to testing of Air Force engines,” Patton said.