‘Mars is very quiet,’ but Perseverance rover still captures Martian sounds for science

The microphone aboard Mars Rover Perseverance has captured a number of interesting noises, but for the most part, a deep silence prevails on the red planet. The sounds from the expedition can still be heard in this collection.

We previously heard the sound of Mars, but this is a much more deliberate recording. You can learn about the atmosphere and other factors that affect it by comparing how an event sounds on Mars to how it would sound on Earth.

It is a new sense of investigation we have never used before on Mars, according to the lead author of the study. The abstract says it:

Prior to the Perseverance rover landing, the acoustic environment of Mars was unknown… theoretical models were uncertain because of a lack of experimental data at low pressure, and the difficulty to characterize turbulence or attenuation in a closed environment. Here using Perseverance microphone recordings, we present the first characterization of Mars’ acoustic environment and pressure fluctuations in the audible range and beyond… These results establish a ground truth for modelling of acoustic processes, which is critical for studies in atmospheres like Mars and Venus.

The findings show that sound on Mars is slow to move and fades out.

The sound at sea level is very fast. It was measured on Mars at 537 MPH, though that will change with the seasons. A medium-size sound like a voice will travel only 26 feet before it becomes inaudible.

It's good practical knowledge for designing systems for work and life on Mars, now we know there's no sense yelling to someone or having audible alarms.

The snap of a tunneling laser, the sound of a blower clearing dust and the hum of Ingenuity's rotors are some of the sounds picked up by the rover's microphone. Listen to the sounds of Mars.