Author: Stephen Johnson / Source: Big Think
- The audio captured by the lander is of Martian winds blowing at an estimated 10 to 15 mph.
- It was taken by the InSight Mars lander, which is designed to help scientists learn more about the formation of rocky planets, and possibly discover liquid water on Mars.
- Microphones are essentially an “extra sense” that scientists can use during experiments on other planets.
In 1976, NASA’s Viking 1 snapped the photos of the surface of Mars. Today, some four decades later, the agency released the first audio ever captured on the surface of the red planet.
The audio is of Martian winds blowing past the agency’s InSight Mars lander, which touched down on the red planet on November 26.
“Capturing this audio was an unplanned treat,” Bruce Banerdt, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a press release. “But one of the things [the InSight mission] is dedicated to is measuring motion on Mars, and naturally that includes motion caused by sound waves.”
Scientists estimated the low-pitched, rumbling noises to be caused by 10- to 15-mph winds.
“Hearing the first sounds ever…
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