At times it feels like we’re in a second space age of sorts, what with Elon Musk’s car flying to orbit and NASA soaring back into the public eye. This is perhaps my favourite bite of space news from 2018 though – our first recordings of sound from Mars.
Thanks to a seismometer aboard NASA’s Insight Rover, which landed on Mars earlier in December, we can now listen to the sound of Martian winds. And yep, it sounds rad.
Ever wondered what the surface of Mars sounded like? Data from NASA’s happily landed Insight Rover has the first ever recordings from our dusty red neighbour.
The raw sound is a deep rumbling, barely audible without a good pair of headphones or a subwoofer. When pitched up slightly it takes on a new life though, growing into an eerie murmur which sounds a little like a distant earthquake.
The vibrations were caused by Martian wind passing by the rover and causing its solar panels to vibrate. It’s a conversion to sound and not actually a legit recording, though in 2020 the first rover equipped with a microphone is due to land. Then, we’ll know if this simulation is accurate.
Hear the sounds for yourself below. It could just be the sample your ambient drone project needs.
Stay up to date with NASA’s Insight Rover via its very cute Twitter.
Via NASA / News.com.au
