You bet there is sound on Mars

Listen to the NASA recordings that are improving weather forecasts

This illustration of NASA's Perseverance Mars rover indicates the placement of the spacecraft's two microphones. The microphone on the mast is part of the SuperCam science instrument. The microphone on the side of the rover was intended to capture the sounds of entry, descent, and landing for public engagement. (NASA, WJXT)

The sounds on Mars are coming to life for all to hear on Earth thanks to two microphones aboard the six-wheeled Perseverance Rover.

It has captured everything from rover wheels crunching over gravel to its motors whirring, but the recordings are also listening to the Red Planet’s atmosphere.

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Wind gust sounds are helping scientists understand the makeup of the Martian atmosphere.

Scientists are learning about Martian weather from the recordings. Sound waves in the atmosphere travel slower or faster depending on the density of the atmosphere. SuperCam’s microphone can provide recordings at a rate of 20,000 times per second over several minutes.

The pronounced lower frequencies of the wind are due to the less dense atmosphere accentuating the bass compared to less audible higher pitch vibrations.

This audio data supplements other weather instruments on Perseverance that sample wind speed, pressure, and temperature less frequently.

Perseverance’s SuperCam mic is ideally located on the mast for monitoring “microturbulence” – minute shifts in the air.

The rover is also capable of blasting rocks with lazers which emit vaporized gases. The

SuperCam analyzes sound hundreds of times per target, opportunities to capture the sound of those zaps quickly add up: the microphone has already recorded more than 25,000 laser shots.

These recordings will teach scientists about changes in the planet’s atmosphere and help in understanding future weather patterns.


About the Author:

After covering the weather from every corner of Florida and doing marine research in the Gulf, Mark Collins settled in Jacksonville to forecast weather for The First Coast.