Enlarge / Roberto Vittori, attired in a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit, in 2010. (credit: NASA)

Roberto Vittori is no stranger to noise or excessive vibrations. A former astronaut, he rode a rocket into space three times—a remarkable number of flights for an Italian-born astronaut. While in space, he coped with, at times, uncomfortable background noise levels on the International Space Station, where dozens of fans move air around, and pumps and electronics constantly whir.

Following his retirement from NASA after riding the penultimate shuttle flight into space in 2011, Vittori moved to the Washington DC area, where he now works on space policy issues. He found a home near Georgetown University that was perfect… except for the fact that it was located five miles from Reagan National Airport.

Since then Vittori’s life has become a waking nightmare due to aviation noise, something like a verse from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas: “And then! Oh, the noise! Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! That’s one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!”