Breaking

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Captures the Sounds of Mars – Listen In - SciTechDaily
Oct 19, 2021 2 mins, 11 secs

This illustration depicts NASA’s Perseverance rover operating on the surface of Mars.

Two microphones aboard the six-wheeled spacecraft add a new dimension to the way scientists and engineers explore the Red Planet.

Thanks to two microphones aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover, the mission has recorded nearly five hours of Martian wind gusts, rover wheels crunching over gravel, and motors whirring as the spacecraft moves its arm.

These sounds allow scientists and engineers to experience the Red Planet in new ways – and everyone is invited to listen in.

I think microphones will be an important asset to future Mars and solar system science.”.

This illustration of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover indicates the location of its two microphones.

Perseverance is the first spacecraft to record the sound of the Red Planet using dedicated microphones – both of which were commercially available, off-the-shelf devices.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover carries two microphones which are directly recording sounds on the Red Planet, including the Ingenuity helicopter and the rover itself at work.

These commercial-grade microphones are similar to one on the chassis of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover.

From its perch on Perseverance’s mast, the SuperCam mic is ideally located for monitoring “microturbulence” – minute shifts in the air – and complements the rover’s dedicated wind sensors, which are part of a suite of atmospheric tools called MEDA, short for the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover carries two commercial-grade microphones, including this one on its mast.

The microphone also allows for research on how sound propagates on Mars.

NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover carries two commercial-grade microphones, including this one on its chassis.

Information from the helicopter audio enabled researchers to eliminate two of three models developed to anticipate how sound propagates on Mars.

“Sound on Mars carries much farther than we thought,” said Nina Lanza, a SuperCam scientist who works with the microphone data at LANL.

A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life.

The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet

These people like the sound of their own voice more than the sounds on Mars

RECENT NEWS

SUBSCRIBE

Get monthly updates and free resources.

CONNECT WITH US

© Copyright 2024 365NEWSX - All RIGHTS RESERVED