According to data collected by NASA’s robots, scientists estimate that sound travels on Mars at a speed of approximately 864 km/h.
An international team of researchers analyzed sounds collected by the Perseverance rover (NASA) and determined the speed of sound on Mars. Baptiste Chide, an expert at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (USA), presented the team’s findings at the 53rd Planetary and Lunar Science Conference held from March 7-11 in Texas.
Mars rover Perseverance with helicopter Ingenuity. (Photo: NASA)
Perseverance landed on the surface of Mars over a year ago. Since then, this rover has been studying the surrounding landscape with a series of cameras and sensors. Perseverance is also equipped with a microphone that allows it to record and send back sounds heard on the Red Planet to Earth. In this new study, the experts analyzed these sounds to seek out useful information.
The research team used data from the microphone to measure the speed of sound on Mars. Specifically, they measured the time it took for sound emitted from a laser shot by Perseverance to return to the rover’s microphone. The rover fires lasers at rocks to learn about their composition.
Scientists found that sound travels on Mars at a speed of about 864 km/h. However, they also discovered that different sound frequencies travel at different speeds. The speed increases by about 36 km/h at frequencies above 400 Hz. This indicates that communication on Mars would be extremely challenging, as parts of speech reach the listener at different times, making conversations chaotic.
Chide noted that the microphone also helps measure the surface temperature of Mars around the rover. This is due to sound traveling at different speeds depending on temperature. By measuring the speed of sound each time Perseverance fires its laser, researchers can quickly calculate temperature changes.
The research team plans to continue monitoring and analyzing Martian sounds for a year to learn more about changes under different conditions on the Red Planet, such as during winter or when dust storms occur.
