TIWN Dec 8, 2018
Los Angeles, Dec 8 (TIWN / IANS) NASA's InSight lander, which touched down on Mars on November 26, has provided the first ever "sounds" of Martian wind on the Red Planet, the NASA said.
InSight sensors captured a haunting low rumble caused by vibrations from the wind, estimated to be blowing between 10 to 15 mph (5 to 7 metres a second) on December 1, from northwest to southeast, NASA said on Friday.
Citing NASA, Xinhua news agency reported the winds were consistent with the direction of dust devil streaks in the landing area, which were observed from orbit.
"Capturing this audio was an unplanned treat," said Bruce Banerdt, InSight principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "But one of the things our mission is dedicated to is measuring motion on Mars, and naturally that includes motion caused by sound waves."
According to NASA, two very sensitive sensors on the spacecraft detected these wind vibrations: an air pressure sensor inside the lander and a seismometer sitting on the lander's deck, awaiting deployment by InSight's robotic arm.
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