Podcast Summary
NASA's Perseverance rover records sounds from Mars with a first-of-its-kind microphone: NASA's Perseverance rover, equipped with a first-of-its-kind microphone, landed on Mars in 2021. The team expects sounds on Mars to differ due to the colder atmosphere and lower speed of sound. This addition to Mars exploration will provide new insights into the Martian environment.
NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021, carries a first-of-its-kind microphone to record sounds from the red planet. David Gruel from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who was the launch operations manager for Perseverance, explained that the mission's team expects sounds on Mars to be different due to the planet's colder atmosphere and lower speed of sound. The team used a DPA 4060 omnidirectional microphone for the task, the same type that can be purchased online. This is an exciting addition to Mars exploration as it will provide new insights into the Martian environment. NASA continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, and Perseverance's sound recording capability is a testament to their commitment to discovering the unknown.
How Mars' thin atmosphere affects human sounds: Mars' thin atmosphere makes sounds quieter and muffled, with lower frequency noises like bass being harder to hear, and conversations resembling whispers.
Sounds travel differently through various atmospheres, and Mars' thin atmosphere would result in quieter and muffled sounds for humans. The Earth's atmosphere, primarily composed of nitrogen and oxygen, allows lower frequency noises, like bass, to pass through. In contrast, Mars' thinner atmosphere, only about 1% as dense as Earth's, makes it harder for sounds to travel, leading to a significant reduction in sound volume. This would make quiet noises nearly inaudible, and even loud noises would sound softer on Mars compared to Earth. Scientists estimate that sounds on Mars could be 20 decibels lower than on Earth. NASA has developed an algorithm to help us imagine Earth sounds on Mars, but the Mars Perseverance rover's microphones will provide the definitive answer. Some examples of how sounds might differ on Mars include an ocean sounding softer, bells or chimes being hard to hear, and conversations resembling whispers. This information emphasizes the importance of the Mars Perseverance rover's microphones in understanding the Martian environment and our potential future on the planet.
The 7 minutes of terror: the critical period of a rover's landing on Mars: The successful landing of a rover on Mars requires extensive preparation, trust in the onboard computer's abilities, and reliance on simulations and tests due to the uncharted territory and lack of real-time communication.
The landing of a rover on another planet, like Mars, is a critical and complex process that involves a period of time, known as entry, descent, and landing (EDL), where the rover cannot communicate with NASA in real-time. This seven-minute window of uncertainty is called the "7 minutes of terror" by some team members, as the physics of Mars cannot be fully replicated on Earth for testing. The rover's onboard computer must navigate this uncharted territory with precise movements, and the team relies heavily on simulations and tests to prepare for potential differences. The successful landing of Perseverance on Mars was a result of extensive preparation and trust in the system's abilities, as the team watched anxiously as it went through the crucial phases of entry, descent, and landing.
Landing a rover on Mars: A complex and risky process: Landing a rover on Mars involves multiple stages, including entry guidance, parachute deployment, heat shield release, descent stage use, and precise control to ensure safe landing.
Landing a rover on Mars is a complex and risky process involving multiple stages. The rover enters Mars' atmosphere traveling at about 12,000 miles per hour and undergoes entry guidance to slow down and target its landing site. A supersonic parachute that deploys at Mach 1.7 continues the deceleration. Once the parachute is deployed, the heat shield is released to enable the use of radar for altitude and velocity measurements. The descent stage, which functions like a jet pack, then flies the rover down to about 20 meters above the surface, where the descent stage separates and the rover touches down at about 1.7 miles per hour. The first sounds are captured from the Martian surface, and the descent stage then flies away. This entire process, from entry into the atmosphere to touchdown, is filled with potential hazards and requires precise control to ensure that the rover reaches its destination safely.
Mars Rover's Mission: More Than Just Landing: Perseverance rover's mission involves extracting rock samples and sending them back to Earth, along with recording sounds for geological insights.
The Perseverance rover's mission on Mars is about more than just landing. While the event of landing a car-sized rover on Mars is significant, it's only the beginning. Perseverance, standing tall at 6 feet with its 1-metric-ton frame, is tasked with extracting rock samples using a drill. These samples are crucial as they hold the key to understanding Mars' geological history. The process of sending and receiving sound files from Mars is time-consuming, with additional time needed for cleaning and filtering the data. NASA's chief scientist, Jim Green, is excited about the potential knowledge these sounds and samples will bring. Perseverance is not just a rock-coreting machine; it also carries a microphone connected to the Supercam instrument. This experiment uses a laser to identify minerals and rock composition, creating a "snap, crackle, pop" sound during the process. Listening to these sounds will provide valuable insights into Mars' geology. In essence, the Perseverance rover's mission is about collecting and sending back essential data to help us understand Mars' history. The sounds and samples will provide invaluable information, contributing to our growing knowledge of the Red Planet.
NASA's Perseverance Rover Safely Lands on Mars: NASA's Perseverance Rover safely landed on Mars, marking the beginning of a new phase of exploration and discovery. Listen to the sounds captured during landing on NASA's Soundcloud or website.
The Perseverance rover's safe landing on Mars marks the beginning of a new phase of exploration and discovery. This mission will provide NASA with valuable data about Mars, potentially leading to future human exploration. The sounds captured during the rover's landing were shared in this episode, and you can listen to them in full on NASA's Soundcloud or website. For more episodes of NASA's Curious Universe, check out your favorite podcast app or visit NASA's podcast page. This podcast is produced by Leslie Mullen and Katie Atkinson, with contributions from Mikaela Sosby, Vicki Woodburn, DC Agle, Jari Cook, Ryland Heggie, Alana Johnson, and Josh Handel. If you have any questions about this episode or previous ones, email nasa-curiousuniverse@mail.nasa.gov. For more information, visit NASA's Curious Universe page.
