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CAP CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – NASA’s newest rover to Mars returned the very first driving sounds to the Red Planet – a matter of squealing, clicking and clacking that by Earth standards would be quite disturbing.
The noises made by Perseverance’s six metal wheels and suspension in the first test drive two weeks ago is part of a 16-minute raw audio stream released Wednesday by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
“If I heard these sounds while driving my car, I would pull over and call a tow,” said Dave Gruel, an engineer on the rover team, in a written statement from NASA. “But if you take a minute to think about what you hear and where it was recorded, that makes perfect sense.”
Perseverance – the largest and most advanced rover ever sent to Mars – landed near a former river delta on February 18 to search for signs of past life. Samples will be taken from the most promising rocks for a possible return to Earth.
The rover carries two microphones. One has already captured the sounds of wind and zapping lasers, the other was intended to record the descent and landing. This second mic did not pick up any sound of the rover’s arrival on Mars, but managed to record the first test drive on March 4.
The driving sound contains an unexpected high-pitched scratching noise, according to NASA. Engineers are trying to figure it out.
Before starting to drill into rocks for core, Perseverance will drop off an experimental helicopter called Ingenuity. The helicopter will attempt the first powered and controlled flight on another planet next month.
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The Associated Press’s Department of Health and Science receives support from the Department of Science Education at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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