Scientists have recorded the sound of swirling dust on Mars for the first time

when rover Perseverance “landed on Mars After a journey that lasted more than six months and 470 million kilometers of travelamong the planets, he carried the first microphone to the planet’s surface and with it, scientists got the The first audio recording of a strange whirlwind.

The study has been published in the journal Nature Communicationsby planetary scientist Naomi Murdock A team of researchers from French Higher National Institute of Aeronautics, From Void And the a pot.

This is how he explained it Roger WiensProfessor of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences Purdue University College of Scienceleads the instrument team that made the discovery and is the principal investigator at SuperCam “perseverance”.

The set of tools that make up the “head & rdquo; of Robot Includes advanced tools Remote Sensing With a wide range of spectrometerAnd the cameras and the microphone.

“We can learn much more with sound than with other tools,” he says. Wins. “They take readings at regular intervals. The microphone allows us to take samples, not exactly at the speed of sound, but still nearly 100,000 times per second. It helps us get a better idea of ​​what Mars looks like.”

Therefore, Wiens assures that the microphone is not on continuously, but records for a few Three minutes every day. Detective Wiens, who obtained the recording of the whirlwind, claimed it was “one luckAlthough not necessarily unexpected.

information by voice

What’s more, in Jezero Craterwhere Perseverance landed, the team noticed signs of approx 100 dust whirlsSmall hurricanes of dust and gravel. This is the first time the microphone was triggered when someone ran over the car.

So the sound of the dust swirl is recorded with atmospheric pressure readings and photography.interval‘, to help scientists understand the atmosphere climate of the Red Planet.

“We could see how the pressure dropped, hear the wind, and then a little bit of silence Eye of the Little Stormthen listen to the wind again and watch how the pressure rises. “Everything happened in a few seconds,” Wiens recalls, “adds the expert.

The wind is fast, within limits 40 kilometers In the hour, about what you see in the dust devil on the ground, ”he continues.

“The difference is that the atmospheric pressure on Mars is so low that the winds, although at the same speed, push about 1% of pressure It would have the same wind speed as on Earth,” the researcher explains.

“It’s not a strong wind, but it’s strong enough Throwing gravel particles into the air and forming a dust whirlWiens confirms.

Big breakthrough

Information suggests that future astronauts will not have to worry about hurricane-force winds blowing into antennas or habitats, but winds It may have some advantages.

Also, the breezes blowing pellets off the solar panels of other rovers, especially the ‘opportunity“yes”Spiritwhich may have helped them last longer.

“These teams of explorers would see a slow decrease in power over several days or weeks, and then an increase. And that was when Solar panel cleaningWayne explains.

In short, the absence of these demons of wind and dust in Ordinary ElysiumWhere the mission landed insightcould explain why the mission is nearing its end.

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Just as on earth, The weather varies Depending on the Mars region, Wiens says. “Use all our tools and tools, Especially the microphoneIt helps us get a definite idea of ​​what it would be like on Mars.”

Finally, the researchers expect that in future There is an extended version of Perseverance could be sent to Mars before a human mission to continuously produce oxygen at a different rate Hundreds of treeswhich would generate enough to support people and power a rocket that would Back to earth.