Perseverance rover captures first ever audio of ‘dust devil’ on Mars
NASA’s Perseverance rover has for the first time captured the sound of a whirly-whirly, also known as a dust devil, as it explores the surface of Mars
READING LEVEL: GREEN
What does a dust devil sound like on Mars? A NASA rover by chance had its microphone on when a whirling tower of red dust passed directly overhead, recording the noise.
It’s about 10 seconds of not only rumbling gusts of up to 40km/h, but the pinging of hundreds of dust particles against the rover Perseverance.
It sounds similar to dust devils on Earth, although quieter since Mars’ thin atmosphere makes for more muted* sounds and less forceful wind, according to the researchers.
The dust devil, also known as a whirly-whirly, came and went over Perseverance quickly, said Dr Naomi Murdoch, from the University of Toulouse and the lead author of the study published in Nature Communications.
At the same time, the navigation camera on the parked rover captured images, while its weather-monitoring instrument collected data.
“It was fully caught red-handed by Persy,” said co-author German Martinez, from the Lunar and Planetary Institute.
Photographed for decades on Mars but never heard until now, dust devils or whirly-whirlies are common on the red planet. This one was in the average range, at a minimum 118m tall and 25m across, travelling at 5m per second.
Dr Murdoch said the rover’s microphone picked up 308 dust pings as the dust devil whipped by.
She said it was “definitely luck” the audio was recorded on September 27, 2021, given the rover’s SuperCam microphone was only turned on for less than three minutes every few days.
Dr Murdoch estimated there was just a 1-in-200 chance of capturing the dust devil audio.
This same microphone on Perseverance’s mast provided the first sounds from Mars – the Martian wind – soon after the rover landed in February 2021.
It followed up with audio of the rover driving around and its companion helicopter, Ingenuity, flying nearby, as well as the crackle of the rover’s rock-zapping lasers, the main reason for the microphone.
Dr Murdoch said these recordings allowed scientists to study the Martian wind, atmospheric turbulence* and dust movement as never before.
The results “demonstrate just how valuable acoustic* data can be in space exploration,” she said.
Perseverance is on Mars searching for rocks that might contain signs of ancient microbial* life. It has collected 18 samples so far at Jezero Crater, once the scene of a river delta*.
NASA plans to return these samples to Earth a decade from now. The helicopter Ingenuity has logged 36 flights, the longest lasting almost three minutes.
GLOSSARY
- muted: softened, quieter
- atmospheric turbulence: the varying speed and direction of the wind
- acoustic: to do with sound
- microbial: to do with microbes, which ae very small living things
- delta: an area of low, flat land shaped like a triangle, where a river splits and spreads out into several branches
EXTRA READING
Pet rock hitches ride on Mars rover
Mars helicopter ready to take flight
NASA rover touches down on Mars
QUICK QUIZ
- What is the name of the rover that recorded the sound of the dust devil or whirly-whirly?
- How long does the audio of the dust devil last?
- Why is the Mars dust devil quieter than dust devils on Earth?
- How bit was the Mars dust devil?
- What is the Mars rover searching for?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What causes a dust devil
Research to find out how dust devils are formed. Use this information to create a diagram or make a video recording to communicate your new knowledge to others.
Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science
2. Extension
Challenge a classmate – see who can make a longer list of facts about Mars based only on information contained in this news story.
Then, together see if you can add any additional facts that are not contained in the news story.
Finally, what is one unknown about the planet that you think would be fascinating for humans to find out?
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English; Science
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.
Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.
Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?
Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.