What Sounds You Can Hear on Mars

For decades, scientists have theorized what the surface of Mars might sound like.

- By Jennifer Leman

NASA's doomed Mars Polar Lander and Phoenix missions have tried and failed to record audio of the Red Planet. Until NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on Mars in February 2021, the Martian soundscape has largely been confined to computer models.

In its first year, the rover's two microphones have captured more than four hours of audio within the audible bandwidth and beyond (20 Hertz to 50,000 Hertz), including the rustling of wind gusts near the planet's surface, the whirring of the Ingenuity helicopter's rotors, and short pings produced by the rover's rock-zapping SuperCam. This data has allowed researchers to more clearly understand how sound travels on Mars and has led to new insights about the planet's atmosphere and climate.