The NASA rover “Perseverance” sent amazing images to Earth during its mission to the red planet. For the first time ever, he picked up the sounds of a so-called dust devil, a small-scale cyclone caused by rotating warm air that drags along grains of sand from the Martian surface, and radioed it to Earth.
NASA rovers have photographed and filmed dust devils on Mars several times, but have so far failed to pick up the sounds of the phenomenon. On September 27, 2021, one of “Perseverance’s” microphones managed to pick up the sounds of a “Dust Devil”, also passing over the rover. According to the researchers, it was no less than 118 meters high and about 25 meters wide.
The 10-second audio recording includes not only the sound of the mini hurricane moving across the Martian surface at speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour, but also the impact of hundreds of dust particles on the NASA rover.
Sounds like Earth – just a little quieter
The sound of the dust devil is very similar to that of dust devils on Earth – only a little quieter. This is because the red planet’s thinner atmosphere allows for more muffled noise levels and less wind.
“Dust devils” – they are also seen over and over on Earth – are created when the surface of Mars is heated by solar radiation. The mini hurricanes stir up dust, which then seems to dance around like a ghost.
Rover is looking for microbial life
The “Perseverance” rover, launched in July 2020 from Cape Canaveral, landed in February 2021 with a risky maneuver lasting several minutes in a dry lake called Jezero Crater that had never been explored on site before.
Costing about $2.2 billion, the rover (pictured above) took about eight years to design and build. It is being used to search for traces of past microbial life on Mars and to study the red planet’s climate and geology.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
