NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image using its left navigation camera (Navcam) on board. The camera is located high on the mast of the rover and assists in driving. This image was acquired on March 7, 2021 (Sol 16). Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
NASAThe latest rover recorded audio of itself creaking across the surface of the Red Planet, adding a whole new dimension to it Mars reconnaissance.
When the Perseverance rover started making tracks on the surface of Mars, a sensitive microphone it carries scored a first: the hitting, pinging, and rattling of the robot’s six wheels as they rolled across Mars’ terrain .
“A lot of people don’t know that the wheels are metal when they see the images,” said Vandi Verma, a senior engineer and rover operator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “When you drive on rocks with these wheels, it’s actually really noisy.”
More than 16 minutes of sounds from Perseverance’s 90-foot (27.3-meter) ride on March 7 were picked up by Perseverance’s entry, descent and landing (EDL) microphone, which remains operational on the rover after its historic landing on February 18. The standard microphone was added to the rover to take the audience for the ride during touchdown, but mission members were also keen to hear the sounds from the surface.
“If I heard these noises driving in my car, I would stop and call a tug,” said Dave Gruel, chief engineer for Mars 2020’s camera and microphone EDL subsystem. you hear it and where it is recorded it makes perfect sense. “
Two versions of the audio clip from the same drive were released to the public on March 17th. The first version contains more than 16 minutes of raw, unfiltered sounds from the rover traveling through Jezero Crater. In it, the sound generated by the interaction of Perseverance’s mobility system (the wheels and suspension) with the surface can be heard, along with a high-pitched scratch noise. The Perseverance engineering team continues to evaluate the source of the scratchy sound. This could be electromagnetic interference from one of the rover’s electronics boxes or interactions between the mobility system and the surface of Mars. The EDL microphone was not intended for surface machining and had to undergo limited testing in this configuration before launch.
Hear 16 minutes of raw, unfiltered sounds from the Perseverance Mars rover as it travels through Jezero Crater. The noise generated by the interaction of the wheels and the rover’s suspension with the surface is audible, along with a high-pitched scratch noise. The Perseverance engineering team continues to evaluate the source of the scratching sound, which could be electromagnetic interference from one of the rover’s electronics boxes or interactions between the rover’s mobility system and the surface of Mars. The entry, descent and landing microphone was not intended for surface operations and had limited testing in this configuration prior to launch. Credit: NASA /JPL-Caltech
The second version is a shorter compilation of sounds from the longer unedited recording of the disc. For this 90-second version, NASA engineers combined three segments of the raw audio file (sections 0: 20-0: 45, 6: 40-7: 10 and 14: 30-15: 00), processed and edited them into a filter. part of the sound.
NASA engineers combined three segments of the recorded raw audio file as the Perseverance Mars rover rolled over a portion of the Jezero crater on sol 16 of the mission. Sections 0: 20-0: 45, 6: 40-7: 10 and 2: 30-3: 00 were combined in this 90-second highlight clip. Editing and editing has been performed to filter out some of the noise. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech
This first audio of a ride across the surface of Mars joins a growing playlist of Martian sounds beamed back to Earth by Perseverance. A second microphone, part of the rover’s SuperCam instrument, previously picked up the sighs of the Martian wind and the rapid ticking sound of the instrument’s laser beams to reveal details of their structure and composition. Such information will help scientists search the Jezero Crater for signs of ancient microscopic life, taking samples of rock and sediment to bring back to Earth by future missions.
The SuperCam sounds were part of a series of system checks the rover has undergone, ranging from unloading Perseverance’s massive robotic arm to making its first weather observations using the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer.
The rover was also looking for a suitable airfield for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to conduct its first flight tests. Now that the right spot has been found, the Perseverance and Ingenuity teams are making plans for the rover to deploy the helicopter, which will have 30 Martian days or sols (31 Earth days) to complete up to five test flights.
And then the hunt for the old life will begin in earnest, with Perseverance to explore terrain that was thought to be covered with water. Between the 19 cameras and the two microphones of the rover, the experience is packed with images and sounds. For Verma, who has ‘piloted’ NASA’s last four Mars rovers, planned their routes, and sent instructions so they can take a day’s drive over unfamiliar territory, the audio is more than just cool.
“The variations between Earth and Mars – we have a visual sense for that,” she said. “But sound is a completely different dimension: seeing the differences between the Earth and Mars and experiencing that environment better.”