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image | above
Detailed photo of deep craters on Mars surface.

photo: NASA

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— the story —

NASA’s InSight lander is currently sitting in a large, flat plateau on the surface of planet Mars — named Elysium Planitia. Outfitted with sensitive equipment for taking measurements and environmental samples — the lander picked-up the vibrations of Mars wind blowing across the lander’s solar panels, as the currents swept through the plain.

This marks the first time humanity has heard the sounds of nature on another planet. The device that recorded the sounds is the on-board seismometer — that is a tool to sense the shaking of earthquakes / marsquakes. The seismometer captured the rustling of the wind against the solar panels.

As second on-board tool called the air pressure sensor also picked-up the wind’s sound. You can hear it clearly in the video below. NASA has released this special featurette showing the lander’s configuration, so you can understand how we’re listing-in to Mars — from Earth.

• watch video | listen — to the winds on Mars
• watch video | look — at the high-resolution photo album of Mars

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image | above
Detailed photo of wind-swept dunes on Mars surface.

photo: NASA

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resources | illustrated guide to the mission

folio | packet for InSight mission: part A
from: NASA
format: Adobe

folio | packet for InSight mission: part B
from: NASA
format: Adobe

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— notes —

abbreviation: InSight = Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy, Heat Transport
abbreviation: MarCO = Mars Cube One
date: The InSight lander touched-down on planet Mars — November 26, 2018.

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on the web | pages

NASA | home
NASA | Mars: page
NASA | Mars: Insight

Jet Propulsion Lab + NASA | home
Jet Propulsion Lab + NASA | missions: page
Jet Propulsion Lab + NASA | missions: InSight

Jet Propulsion Lab + NASA | the Mars Exploration Program: home
Jet Propulsion Lab + NASA | the Mars Exploration Program: missions

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— notes —

* NASA = the National Aeronautics + Space Administration of the United States
* JPL = the Jet Propulsion Lab
* lab = laboratory

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[ story file ]

story title: digest | the Sights + Sounds: from Mars
deck: Hear the wind for the first time.
year: 2018
posted: by managing editor
section: digest

[ end of file ]