Avid NASA explorers have expanded the playlist on Mars.
After sending out the sound of the wind and the electric shock of the laser, the robot had just recorded the sound emanating from its metal wheels as the surface of the planet’s rock creaked.
“If I heard these sounds while driving, I would stop my car and ask to tow it,” joked Dave Growell, principal engineer working on the rover’s cameras and microphones.
Persistence has two recording devices.
They are embedded in robots to give audiences a more accurate picture of what Mars looks like, but they also have some scientific value. The nature of the sound describes the physical properties of the surface – for example, how hard or smooth the rock is.
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The newly released footage was made during the 27 meter march by Perseverance on March 7. The media at the top of this page is a condensed version of a sequence played over 16 minutes in raw form.
The sound on Mars is slightly different than on Earth, due to the lower air pressure and varying composition. The sound can be heard slightly muffled. However, the sound of the wheels must be loud.
Amid the noise, the engineers said they could hear a kind of scratching sound, which they are still trying to explain.
They are unsure if this is electromagnetic interference from one of the electronic boxes on the rover or just another aspect of the general crackle that results in the interaction between the robot’s navigation system and the surface.
Perseverance landed at Jezero Crater on February 18th. Since then, most of the time has been spent testing all of the systems, tools, and equipment.
The immediate target is the helicopter test. The explorer took a small helicopter from the ground with him.
The car is looking for a suitable stretch of terrain where a 2 kg device, called an Ingenuity, can be safely placed on the ground. For now, the plane hangs under the belly of perseverance.
NASA says engineers have now identified a potential site which they will discuss in more detail at a briefing next Tuesday.
The team behind Ingenuity will be given 30 sol (31 Earth days) to make up to five test flights.
When finished, the main task can be started. Perseverance is on Mars to search for signs of past life and collect rocks that can be sent to Earth later this decade.
The robot’s original purpose was the remnant delta – a structure built from mud and sand that the river flooded as it entered a larger area of water.
In Jezero’s case, it is quite possible that this broader body was a crater lake that existed billions of years ago.
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