How Do Sounds on Mars Differ from Sounds on Earth?

May 23, 2023
CreditNASA/JPL-Caltech Images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI Mastcam-Z - NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS SHERLOC - NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
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  • english

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. NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has two microphones that record sounds on the Red Planet. Since its landing in February 2021, the rover 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.

Learn more about Perseverance: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020
For more sounds of Mars: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-sounds

TRANSCRIPT

[rising synthesizer drum hits]

[uplifting cinematic instrumental music (115 BPM)]

[music fades out]

[high pitched bicycle bell rings 12 times]

[quiet and muffled bicycle bell rings 12 times]

[ocean waves crashing and seagulls squawking]

[quiet and muffled ocean waves crashing and seagulls squawking]

[uplifting cinematic instrumental music fades in]

[music fades out]

[loud, muffled gusts of wind blowing]

[muffled, rumbling spinning helicopter propellers]

[muffled metallic banging and crunching over rocks]

[clear, with a slight echo
Alex Mather’s voice, speaking]

[muffled, quieter
Alex Mather’s voice, speaking]

[uplifting cinematic instrumental music fades in]

[music crescendos and fades out]