What is Mars Microphone 2020 ?

What can be heard on Mars ?

2015-02-09T14:27:28Z

The microphone will be sensitive to the same frequencies as the human ear : between 20 Hz and 20 kHz. A first problem occurs with that : the Martian atmosphere is very thin and those frequencies do not travel for long distances. Nevertheless, the wind on Mars can be strong enough to generate noise and the rover too. So, here is a list of possible noise sources that could be heard by the microphone :

Dust storms and dust devils : those can be dangerous for the rover. Only small size dust devil might be audible. Bigger ones make sound in lower frequencies.
Saltation : Martian particles of dust which are in the air will hit the rover. This might produce a
noise which can be heard by the microphone. Data may give the information of how many
particles hit the rover, which can help to know better the Martian environment for future
missions.
Wind over the rover : as the wind blows over the MSL2, it might produce sounds. In addition, we should also hear sounds made by the laser SuperCam.


Dust devils seen by SPIRIT: July 13, 2005
Credits : NASA/JPL/Texas A&M

Mars Microphone 2020 objectives

2015-02-09T14:27:26Z

The Mars Microphone for Mars 2020 is a very simple and exciting experiment, whose primary objective is to achieve a world premiere : retrieve sounds from Mars, in particular the sound generated by its "mother" payload, the SuperCam LIBS laser. In addition to this primary objective, it will contribute to basic atmospheric investigation by analysis of the acoustic environment and help put constraints on wind vortex or dust devils properties.

Secondary objectives will strongly depend on favourable circumstances. The microphone may be able to retrieve Martian atmosphere electrical activity related sounds and possibly retrieve the sound of bolides entry.

The mass of this experiment is about 50g, and its consumption 150 mW. Depending on the operational scenario, the energy need may be very small.

While built in Europe, with students involvement, the Mars Microphone will also strongly rely on the heritage of the previous Mars Microphone experiments, led by Berkeley SSL and the Planetary Society for the Phoenix, Mars Polar lander and NetLander missions. This experiment will therefore feature a unique combination of outreach, educational initiative and scientific objectives, .

About us and our work

2015-02-09T14:27:23Z

We are second year students at ISAE-SUPAERO, the French Aerospace Engineering School. Highly interested in space, we want to work in this field later. Our mission is to qualify the microphone, implement a method to record data for the vibration and temperature tests. We will also have to work on how to integrate it with SuperCam and how it should be implemented to have good quality recordings, since the Martian atmosphere is quite different from ours (most of it is C02 at a 5 mB pressure...). This project is highly interesting insofar as we will test the microphone in space and Martian conditions. It is also a good opportunity to meet scientists and engineers of this field.