discover the muted sound of the red planet captured by the microphone made in Toulouse for the Persévérance probe
The famous journal “Nature” has published a study on the sounds recorded by the Perseverance robot on Mars. 6 hours of recordings thanks to the microphone designed by the head of aerospace engineering based in Toulouse which made it possible to know the characteristics of the sound of the red planet.
Probing the sound atmosphere of the planet Mars, NASA was not convinced of the interest. The first microphone of Perseverance (the rover left to explore the red planet) was installed at the level of the chassis. The second developed by engineers from Isae-Supaéro in Toulouse in collaboration with the American laboratory Los Alamos was placed on one of the 7 scientific instruments called SuperCam.
The English Review”Naturepublished a study of sounds recorded on Mars.
Listening to the sounds recorded on Mars, we perceive a cozy and calm universe. The noise on this planet is strongly attenuated and almost does not propagate. In fact, it’s like listening to a concert played on Earth but heard as at the bottom of the oceans with an almost deaf sound.
The review reveals that the sounds on Mars carry less far than on Earth and that the high frequencies (treble) go faster than the bass which can cause distortions. The highs are lost very quickly in the atmosphere, more quickly than the lows. Sounds such as bells, birdsong or whistles would not be heard on Mars. Sounds are attenuated by 20 dB from their Earth level.
Scientists have shown that sound travels slower on Mars: 240 meters per second against 340 m/s on Earth. Then the sound volume is lower.
Let’s imagine a conversation about Mars. Not easy for slightly deaf people. Sounds seem muffled and calling out to a neighbor more than 5 meters away is impossible because of the low propagation of sounds.
All this can be explained by the characteristics of the atmosphere: 96% CO2 on Mars compared to 0.04% on Earth composed essentially of oxygen and nitrogen. However, CO2 molecules are known to absorb high frequency sounds and prevent these noises from spreading.
video length: 18sec
First sounds from the planet Mars recorded thanks to the Perseverance robot
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©Nasa
The Martian sound is rather calm, sometimes making you wonder if the microphones installed on Perseverance worked well! Apart from the wind, the sound sources are rather rare if we except the recorded sounds related to the activity of the robot which also make it possible to establish a diagnosis on its state of health and its good functioning.
If these discoveries fascinate you, it is possible to go and listen to part of the 6 hours of recording directly on the NASA website. You can even make a small playlist!
The sound of the wind on Mars recorded on February 22, 2021 but where we mainly hear the noise generated by the rover.
video length: 20sec
Sound of the wind on Mars
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©Nasa
For the first time, a spacecraft on the planet Mars has recorded the sounds of another separate spacecraft. The Perseverance rover used the SuperCam’s microphone to record the Ingenuity helicopter. Recording of April 30, 2021.
duration of the video: 02min 30
A helicopter in full flight recorded on Mars
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©Nasa
NASA engineers recorded the Perseverance rover as it traversed a section of Jezero Crater on the ground.
video length: 01min 25
Sound of the Rover driving on Mars
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©Nasa
All of this might seem fun, especially since you can record your voice on the NASA website (10 seconds max) and hear it on the planet Mars! These amazing sounds are far from being anecdotal to understand other planets.
If one day man lives on Mars, these studies will not be in vain and will allow us to better understand the planet. For future flights, American or not, the sound element should be taken into account more in view of these discoveries. SuperCam’s microphone weighs only 13 kg. A featherweight to write and describe the sound atmosphere of the red planet.