Mars rover Perseverance captures sound of 'dust devil' for the first time

The microphone of the Perseverance rover for the first time in history picked up the sound of the "dust devil" - a whirlwind that is regularly observed on the surface of the Red Planet.

Previously, such vortices could be photographed, but astronomers heard how they sound for the first time. Moreover, the recording was made at the moment when the “dust devil” literally walked through the rover.

NASA engineers noted that at the moment of approach to the vortex, not only the microphone was turned on, but also all meteorological sensors, as well as cameras. Scientists were able to put together all the data for a more detailed study of the nature of this phenomenon.

So, the Perseverance control team had already determined that the vortex was at least 25 meters across - about 10 times the size of the rover, and at least 118 meters high. Luckily, the Martian atmosphere is only 1% denser than Earth's, so the wind pressure didn't damage Perseverance, but only moved it a bit.

The microphone recordings are so complex and sensitive that the scientists were able to hear dust particles colliding with the rover. This made it possible to quantify how much dust is lifted by such eddies.

These and other similar acoustic data should help advance the study of the Red Planet.