Sound on Mars
The first audio recordings from the red planet.
This week, the NASA Mars rover Perseverance beamed back the first sounds ever recorded from Mars. How cool is that.
The Mars rover was equipped with two external microphones, one of which captured the sound of the rover itself. The other picked up the gust of Martian wind that sounds around 10 seconds in – the first sound ever recorded on the red planet.
“Imagine yourself sitting on the surface of Mars and listening to the surroundings. It’s cool, really neat. Overwhelming, if you will.”
David Gruel, lead engineer
Leading up to this iconic landing, NASA launched a wider initiative around sound on Mars, allowing people to listen to how things would sound on Mars vs on Earth. Clair de Lune on Mars is a particular favourite.
The difference in atmosphere on Mars means the speed of sound, volume and sound quality is all affected differently.
The first microphones on the surface of the red planet will continue recording, so stay tuned for more solar system sounds.
