Scientists have discovered that dust tornadoes exceeding 387 feet (118m) tall are skimming along the surface of Mars.
These 25-mile-per-hour (40-kilometer-per-hour) whirlwinds, sometimes known as “dust devils,” carry sand and particles as they move.
The Perseverance rover captured the first-ever audio recording of the occurrence, which provides insight into the Red Planet’s atmosphere and weather.
This could aid engineers in designing future Mars missions, as dust bombardment has ramifications for the stuff we take into space.
The Perseverance landed on Mars’ Jezero Crater on February 18, 2021, after a roughly seven-month voyage.
Since then, the robot the size of a vehicle has been hunting for old biomarkers in the Martian soil, which could suggest the presence of extraterrestrial life.
It is equipped with 23 cameras that aid in navigation, safety evaluation, and the collection of visual data on nearby and faraway objects.
One of these cameras is the ‘Supercam,’ a combination of scientific sensors, cameras, and a microphone positioned atop the ‘head’ of Perseverance.
Sensors on previous Mars landers and rovers were able to detect vibrations, but this microphone is the first to ever touch the planet’s surface.
It records samples at a rate of roughly 100,000 per second, giving scientists a better understanding of the Martian environment.
Dr. Roger Wiens, the chief investigator of Perseverance’s SuperCam, remarked, “We can learn a great deal more with sound than with some of the other technologies.”
The microphone was used by NASA and the National Higher French Institute of Aeronautics and Space to record the first-ever extraterrestrial dust devil.
On Mars, dust devils are abundant and signify regions of turbulent atmosphere.
They lift dust into the atmosphere, which is a crucial phase in the planet’s dust cycle and climate regulation.
This specific one was roughly ten times wider than the rover, measuring approximately 82 feet (25 meters) in width.
Before this recording, data from Perseverance’s other sensors indicated that more than a hundred of these tornadoes have passed over the rover since it landed.
However, because the microphone is only active for around three minutes every day, it wasn’t until September 27, 2021, that the first dust devil was detected.
The wind is audible, and you can faintly hear grains bouncing off the exterior of the rover.
During this encounter, the Perseverance captured air pressure data and time-lapse images in addition to an audio recording.
All of this, according to Dr. Roger Wiens, the lead scientist of Perseverance’s SuperCam, allowed the researchers to track the dust devil.
He stated, “We could see the pressure fall, listen to the wind, then experience a little period of calm at the center of the storm, before hearing the wind again and observing the pressure rise.”
The scientists analyzed all of the data collected by Perseverance, and their conclusions were published in Nature Communications today.
They indicated that this dust and grit storm is not as dangerous as others that we have encountered on Earth.
He stated, “The wind is gusting at roughly 25 miles per hour, which is comparable to a dust devil on Earth.”
‘The difference is that the air pressure on Mars is so much lower than the winds, despite being the same speed as they would be on Earth, push with only approximately 1% of the force.
It’s not a strong wind, but it’s strong enough to raise dust particles into the air and create a dust devil.
Future astronauts will be relieved to learn that they will not have to contend with gale-force winds when exploring the globe.
The dust devils may have also dislodged sand that settled on the solar panels of past rovers, allowing them to survive longer on Mars than they would have otherwise.
The Spirit rover operated for six years, while the Opportunity rover operated for nearly fifteen years.
Dr. Wiens stated, “These rover teams would see a gradual decrease in power over several days to weeks, followed by an increase.” That was when the wind wiped the solar panels clean.
This may explain why the InSight lander, which is presently stationed in the less windy Elysium Planitia, is ending its mission after only four years.
The researchers anticipate that the microphone will be able to detect the sounds of dust devils that appear in various geological areas on Mars.
This will allow them to compare data from the many recordings to determine how the Martian environment impacts their properties.
Dr. Wiens stated, “As on Earth, different regions of Mars have varying weather.”
Utilizing all of our instruments and technologies, particularly the microphone, allows us to gain a concrete understanding of what life on Mars might be like.
