On February 18, just over a month from now, NASA’s Perseverance rover will land on the Red Planet, bringing with it new tools and technologies for further exploration. Among the items the rover carries is a microphone mounted on its SuperCam instrument – and NASA plans to use this to record natural sounds on Mars.
When Mars’ permanence arrives next month, it will begin to descend to the surface, a process captured by a secondary microphone known as the EDL. NASA is referring to the microphone as an experiment, explaining that it is a standard off-the-shelf microphone with a special grid to keep out dust.
Once on the ground, the rover’s SuperCam microphone captures sound clips of the Martian environment, as well as the rover’s equipment at work. This will be a milestone moment for humanity, but the audio may not represent what people would hear if they were physically located on that planet. This is related to the density, shape and cold temperature of the Martian planet.
Microphones have never been used on Mars, meaning there are still many who do not know about the future recordings and how they will be affected by the environment. Nonetheless, the microphone provides an entirely new way to explore the Red Planet and learn about its environment, not to mention the novelty of getting sounds around it. another planet.
Speaking about the tech NASA JPL postdoctoral planetary science baptist Baptiste Chide said:
It’s amazing all the science we get with an instrument as simple as a microphone on Mars… Recording sounds that are audible on Mars is a unique experience. With the microphones on board Stability, we will add the fifth sensation to the study of Mars. It will open up a new field of scientific study for both the atmosphere and the surface.