NASA Space Station: Shocking Images of Science in Action

Listening to the Red Planet: What NASA’s Perseverance Rover Has Taught Us About Sound on Mars

The Perseverance rover carries two microphones, letting us directly record the sounds of Mars for the very first time. Even though Earth and Mars are entirely different planets, it may be comforting to know that if you were on Mars, you might still sound pretty much like yourself.

If you were standing on Mars, you’d hear a quieter, more muffled version of what you’d hear on Earth, and you’d wait slightly longer to hear it. On Mars, the atmosphere is entirely different. But, the biggest change to audio would be to high-pitch sounds, higher than most voices. Some sounds that we’re used to on Earth, like whistles, bells or bird songs, would almost be inaudible on Mars.

How does sound work? When we hear sound, what we’re really experiencing is our eardrums vibrating. That vibration comes from waves of pressure that travel to our ears from the source of the sound. To get to our ears, the waves need something to travel through, like air. Sound waves can travel through liquids and even solids, but most of what we hear comes through the air.

What’s different about Mars? Mars has an unusual atmosphere compared to Earth, with very different temperature, density, and chemistry. These differences would have three main effects on the sound you’d hear:

• Speed of Sound: Sounds emitted in the cold Martian atmosphere would take slightly longer to get to your ear. With an average surface temperature around -81 F (-63 C), Mars has a lower speed of sound, around 540 mph (~240 meters per second), compared to about 760 mph (~340 meters per second) on Earth.
• Volume: The sound level you’d hear would be automatically lower on Mars. The Martian atmosphere is about 100 times less dense than on Earth — that is, there’s just a lot less of it. That affects how sound waves travel from the source to the detector, resulting in a softer signal. On Mars you’d have to be much closer to the source of a sound to hear it at the same volume as you would on Earth.
• Sound Quality: The atmosphere of Mars, made up of 96 percent carbon dioxide, would absorb a lot of higher-pitched sounds, so only lower-pitched sounds would travel long distances. This effect is known as attenuation — a weakening of the signal at certain frequencies — and it would be more noticeable the farther you were from the source.

Put together, these three impacts would change how you would sound in the atmosphere of Mars. Of course, if you found yourself on Mars, you’d have a spacesuit on. Not only would it help with clear radio communication, but you’d be able to breathe as well!

What does Mars actually sound like? Did you know sound works differently on Mars than it does on Earth? Mars has a different atmosphere than Earth, so sounds on the Red Planet would sound a bit different and be more muffled. Perseverance has captured sounds such as dust devils, the whir of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in flight, and the sound of its wheels crunching over the rocky Martian terrain.

NASA’s Achievements in 2024: A Year of Innovation and Exploration

With a look back at 2024, NASA is celebrating its many innovative and inspiring accomplishments this year, including for the first time, landing new science and technology on the Moon with an American company, pushing the boundaries of exploration by launching a new mission to study Jupiter’s icy moon Europa; maintaining 24 years of continuous human exploration off the Earth aboard the International Space Station, and unveiling the first look at its supersonic quiet aircraft for the benefit of humanity.

Pushing the Boundaries of Exploration

The agency also shared the wonder of a total eclipse with millions of Americans, conducted the final flight of its Ingenuity helicopter on the Red Planet, demonstrated the first laser communications capability in deep space, tested the next generation solar sail in space, made new scientific discoveries with its James Webb Space Telescope, completed a year-long Mars simulation on Earth with crew, announced the newest class of Artemis Generation astronauts, and much more.

Advancing Science and Technology

“In 2024, NASA made leap after giant leap to explore, discover, and inspire – all while bringing real, tangible, and substantial benefits to the American people and to all of humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Inspiring the Next Generation

Through its Moon to Mars exploration approach, the agency continued moving forward with its Artemis campaign, including progress toward its first mission around the Moon with crew in more than 50 years and advancing plans to explore more of the Moon than ever before.

The Future of Space Exploration: Implications and Practical Aspects

The Artemis Generation

So far in 2024, 15 countries signed the Artemis Accords, committing to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of space with the United States.

International Cooperation and Partnerships

As part of efforts to monitor climate change, the agency launched multiple satellites to study our changing planet and opened its second Earth Information Center to provide data to a wider audience.

The Economic and Societal Impact of Space Exploration

With the release of its latest Economic Impact Report, NASA underscored the agency’s $75.6 billion impact on the U.S. economy, value to society, and return on investment for taxpayers.

“To invest in NASA is to invest in American workers, American innovation, the American economy, and American economic competitiveness. Through continued investments in our workforce and our infrastructure, NASA will continue to propel American leadership on Earth, in the skies, and in the stars,” said Nelson.

Listening to the Red Planet: What NASA’s Perseverance Rover Has Taught Us About Sound on Mars

The Perseverance rover carries two microphones, letting us directly record the sounds of Mars for the very first time. Even though Earth and Mars are entirely different planets, it may be comforting to know that if you were on Mars, you might still sound pretty much like yourself.

If you were standing on Mars, you’d hear a quieter, more muffled version of what you’d hear on Earth, and you’d wait slightly longer to hear it. On Mars, the atmosphere is entirely different. But, the biggest change to audio would be to high-pitch sounds, higher than most voices. Some sounds that we’re used to on Earth, like whistles, bells or bird songs, would almost be inaudible on Mars.

How does sound work? When we hear sound, what we’re really experiencing is our eardrums vibrating. That vibration comes from waves of pressure that travel to our ears from the source of the sound. To get to our ears, the waves need something to travel through, like air. Sound waves can travel through liquids and even solids, but most of what we hear comes through the air.

What’s different about Mars? Mars has an unusual atmosphere compared to Earth, with very different temperature, density, and chemistry. These differences would have three main effects on the sound you’d hear:

• Speed of Sound: Sounds emitted in the cold Martian atmosphere would take slightly longer to get to your ear. With an average surface temperature around -81 F (-63 C), Mars has a lower speed of sound, around 540 mph (~240 meters per second), compared to about 760 mph (~340 meters per second) on Earth.
• Volume: The sound level you’d hear would be automatically lower on Mars. The Martian atmosphere is about 100 times less dense than on Earth — that is, there’s just a lot less of it. That affects how sound waves travel from the source to the detector, resulting in a softer signal. On Mars you’d have to be much closer to the source of a sound to hear it at the same volume as you would on Earth.
• Sound Quality: The atmosphere of Mars, made up of 96 percent carbon dioxide, would absorb a lot of higher-pitched sounds, so only lower-pitched sounds would travel long distances. This effect is known as attenuation — a weakening of the signal at certain frequencies — and it would be more noticeable the farther you were from the source.

Put together, these three impacts would change how you would sound in the atmosphere of Mars. Of course, if you found yourself on Mars, you’d have a spacesuit on. Not only would it help with clear radio communication, but you’d be able to breathe as well!

What does Mars actually sound like? Did you know sound works differently on Mars than it does on Earth? Mars has a different atmosphere than Earth, so sounds on the Red Planet would sound a bit different and be more muffled. Perseverance has captured sounds such as dust devils, the whir of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter in flight, and the sound of its wheels crunching over the rocky Martian terrain.

NASA’s Achievements in 2024: A Year of Innovation and Exploration

With a look back at 2024, NASA is celebrating its many innovative and inspiring accomplishments this year, including for the first time, landing new science and technology on the Moon with an American company, pushing the boundaries of exploration by launching a new mission to study Jupiter’s icy moon Europa; maintaining 24 years of continuous human exploration off the Earth aboard the International Space Station, and unveiling the first look at its supersonic quiet aircraft for the benefit of humanity.

Pushing the Boundaries of Exploration

The agency also shared the wonder of a total eclipse with millions of Americans, conducted the final flight of its Ingenuity helicopter on the Red Planet, demonstrated the first laser communications capability in deep space, tested the next generation solar sail in space, made new scientific discoveries with its James Webb Space Telescope, completed a year-long Mars simulation on Earth with crew, announced the newest class of Artemis Generation astronauts, and much more.

Advancing Science and Technology

“In 2024, NASA made leap after giant leap to explore, discover, and inspire – all while bringing real, tangible, and substantial benefits to the American people and to all of humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Inspiring the Next Generation

Through its Moon to Mars exploration approach, the agency continued moving forward with its Artemis campaign, including progress toward its first mission around the Moon with crew in more than 50 years and advancing plans to explore more of the Moon than ever before.

The Future of Space Exploration: Implications and Practical Aspects

The Artemis Generation

So far in 2024, 15 countries signed the Artemis Accords, committing to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of space with the United States.

International Cooperation and Partnerships

As part of efforts to monitor climate change, the agency launched multiple satellites to study our changing planet and opened its second Earth Information Center to provide data to a wider audience.

The Economic and Societal Impact of Space Exploration

With the release of its latest Economic Impact Report, NASA underscored the agency’s $75.6 billion impact on the U.S. economy, value to society, and return on investment for taxpayers.

“To invest in NASA is to invest in American workers, American innovation, the American economy, and American economic competitiveness. Through continued investments in our workforce and our infrastructure, NASA will continue to propel American leadership on Earth, in the skies, and in the stars,” said Nelson.