SALT LAKE CITY — Ever wondered what it sounds like to be on the surface of Mars? Well, thanks to NASA’s latest mission, we have an idea.
What’s going on: NASA’s InSight lander has just sent an audio recording from Mars back to Earth.
- According to Vox, this is the first time in history that humans have ever heard sound from the Red Planet.
- CBS News reported that the audio, which was shared in a video by NASA, captures the sound of a northwest Martian wind blowing at 10 to 15 mph.
- Newsweek noted that the wind sound is very low-pitch and is best heard with headphones on.
Listen to the recording below:
Reaction: "Capturing this audio was an unplanned treat," said Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in a statement. "But one of the things our mission is dedicated to is measuring motion on Mars, and naturally that includes motion caused by sound waves."
How?: NASA explained that the audio is wind vibrations picked up by two sensors on the lander and not an actual recording from a microphone. However, the Mars rover that will be launched in 2020 will have microphones aboard.
- According to Newsweek, those microphones will record both audio of the rover’s landing as well as sounds it hears while exploring the planet.