Latest news with #Martian
Yahoo
an hour ago
- General
- Yahoo
Listen to the eerie sounds of Mars recorded by a NASA rover
A NASA rover ambling over the red desert planet for the past four years has been recording audio of Mars. In this alien world 156 million miles away in space, even the everyday whispers of wind and mechanical parts are exotic to human ears. Scientists say that's because the Martian atmosphere is about 1 percent as dense as Earth's, which alters the volume, speed, and characteristics of sound. How to describe what Perseverance has heard at Jezero crater? Well, it doesn't not sound like the eerie ambient noise of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, but you can listen for yourself. Like an aspiring DJ or singer-songwriter, Perseverance has a Soundcloud account, where people can experience the latest Martian tracks. NASA shared this week some of the strange audio the rover has captured. You can find a sampling further down in this story. SEE ALSO: A NASA Mars rover looked up at a moody sky. What it saw wasn't a star. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech illustration When the rover touched down on Mars in 2021, it didn't just bring cameras, drills, and tubes for rock samples. It also carried two microphones — nothing special, just a couple of off-the-shelf devices anyone could buy online. The only modification NASA made was to attach little grids at the end of the mics to protect them from Martian dust. One of the microphones, mounted on the rover's head, is known as the SuperCam and has recorded most of the audio; another is attached to the body. What they've picked up is changing the way scientists think about the Red Planet. This is the first time humanity has ever been able to listen to the din of another world. "We've all seen these beautiful images that we get from Mars," said Nina Lanza, a Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist, in a NASA video, "but having sound to be able to add to those images, it makes me feel like I'm almost right there on the surface." NASA shared Martian audio in the above post on X. Researchers published the first study of acoustics on Mars in the journal Nature, based on Perseverance's recordings, in 2022. Apparently, the Red Planet is a much quieter place than originally thought, and not just because it's unpopulated. It's so silent, in fact, there was a time the rover team believed the mics had stopped working. But Perseverance just wasn't getting much material from its surroundings. That's largely due to Mars' low-atmospheric pressure, though the pressure can vary with the seasons. The team studying these sounds found that Mars' thin air, composed mostly of carbon dioxide, makes sound waves behave differently. On Earth, sound travels at roughly 767 mph. On Mars, deeper pitches move at about 537 mph, with higher ones traveling a bit faster, at 559 mph. The thin atmosphere also causes sound to drop off quickly. A sound that could be heard from 200 feet away on Earth falls silent after 30 feet on Mars. Higher-pitched tones have an even shorter range. The microphones mounted to Perseverance are off-the-shelf devices anyone could buy off the internet. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech "Sounds on Earth have very rich harmonics. You can hear multiple frequencies. It gets a really nice depth to the sound," said Justin Maki, a NASA scientist, in a video. "On Mars, the atmosphere attenuates a lot of those higher frequencies. So you tend to hear the lower frequencies, and it's a much more isolated sound, a little more muted than the sounds we hear on Earth." With this data, scientists have learned that some of their earlier models for how they thought sound should move on Mars missed the mark. "The Martian atmosphere can propagate sound a lot further than we thought it could," Lanza said. Translation: The Red Planet can literally carry a tune.
Hans India
4 hours ago
- Science
- Hans India
Beyond the Space Station: Shukla's Earth-Based Research Sets Sights on Mars Habitats
In a quiet laboratory far from the zero-gravity labs of the International Space Station, Indian scientist Dr. Aarav Shukla is leading research that could one day define how humans live on Mars. His work, grounded firmly on Earth, focuses on designing sustainable habitats capable of withstanding the harsh conditions of the Red Planet. Shukla, a specialist in aerospace and environmental systems, believes that preparing for life on Mars doesn't begin in orbit — it begins on Earth. His team is developing prototypes that simulate Martian living environments, exploring solutions for everything from radiation shielding and energy efficiency to food and water self-sufficiency. 'Our goal is to create a fully functional, closed-loop system that mimics the Martian environment,' Shukla said in a recent interview. 'We're testing how life-support systems, structural materials, and even psychological well-being can be managed in isolation.' Shukla's project is part of a growing global movement focused on Mars colonization. While space agencies like NASA and ESA invest in orbital missions and robotic exploration, researchers like Shukla are laying the groundwork for human settlement through rigorous, on-ground experimentation. One of the standout features of his work is the use of locally sourced materials to simulate Martian regolith — the planet's surface layer — in constructing habitat models. His research is also tapping into artificial intelligence to monitor environmental stability and crew health in confined settings. While humans have yet to set foot on Mars, Shukla's research is helping ensure that when we do, the infrastructure will be ready. His innovative approach reminds us that while space is the frontier, the foundation begins here on Earth.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
Beyond space station: Shukla's on-ground research aims for habitats on Mars
BENGALURU: As Group Captain prepares for his historic flight to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Axiom-4 Mission (Ax-4) on June 8, his days in quarantine are being watched closely. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But what's flown under the radar is that this Indian Air Force pilot turned astronaut has also donned the researcher's hat—co-authoring two scientific papers that aim to push the boundaries of extraterrestrial living. Both studies, conducted while Shukla was at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, tackle two key challenges of future Mars missions : how to build habitats and how to survive the planet's harsh soil chemistry. In one study accessed by TOI, researchers developed a concept for a modular Martian habitat called BHEEM—short for Bhartiya Extraterrestrial Expandable Modular Habitat. This innovative design proposes stackable geometric modules made from triangles, squares and pentagons that can be launched compactly and expanded onsite to house astronauts. Aside from Shukla, this study is authored by Mritunjay Baruah, Amogh Ravindra Jadhav, Bimalendu Mahapatra and Aloke Kumar. Designed with a deep understanding of human-centred needs in space, BHEEM offers a reconfigurable living space that prioritises mission efficiency and astronaut comfort. Each module supports essential tasks—ranging from mission planning and hygiene to exercise and medical care—and is built to withstand the structural stresses of extraterrestrial environments. But building habitats is only half the battle. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now What will they be made of, especially in an environment where every kilogram launched from Earth comes at a premium? That's where the second study steps in. Alongside researchers Swati Dubey, Nitin Gupta, Rashmi Dixit, Punyasloke Bhadury and Aloke Kumar, Shukla investigated how 'Sporosarcina pasteurii', a biocementation-capable bacterium, can be used to make 'Martian bricks' by consolidating Martian soil simulant with a process known as 'Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP)'. The twist? They tested how well this microbe performs in the presence of perchlorates—oxidising salts found in actual Martian soil. The findings — as per a pre-print of the study accessed by TOI — were striking. While perchlorates are typically hostile to life, they induced an unexpected behaviour in the bacteria: the formation of multicellularity-like clusters and the release of protective extracellular matrix. Even more surprisingly, when combined with a natural adhesive like guar gum, the bacteria helped produce bricks with twice the compressive strength in the presence of perchlorates compared to those without them. 'This suggests that with the right additives, Martian soil could be turned into durable construction material using local resources,' the study has found. These two studies—one architectural, the other microbial—highlight a systems-level approach to planetary colonisation. While BHEEM lays the structural blueprint for lunar or Martian habitats , the MICP work provides a sustainable method to build those habitats using Mars' own soil. For Shukla, who is currently in pre-launch quarantine, this dual role as astronaut and scientist underscores the multidisciplinary nature of modern spaceflight. His upcoming mission to the ISS may be a leap for India's human spaceflight programme, but his ground-based research has also been trying to lay the bricks—quite literally—for India's future on Mars.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
NASA spots sputtering for first time, cracks Mars' lost atmosphere mystery
Mars just gave up one of its oldest secrets — and it took a decade, a spacecraft, and a cosmic cannonball to catch it in the act. For the first time, NASA's MAVEN mission has directly observed a process called sputtering, an elusive atmospheric escape mechanism where energetic charged particles from the solar wind slam into the Martian atmosphere, knocking atoms into space. This violent interaction may be a key reason why Mars lost its thick atmosphere and, with it, the ability to sustain liquid water on its surface. The breakthrough marks a major milestone for MAVEN, a mission under NASA's Mars Exploration Program dedicated to uncovering how the Red Planet lost its atmosphere. While scientists had long suspected the process played a role in the Red Planet's atmospheric erosion, they lacked concrete evidence. 'It's like doing a cannonball in a pool,' said Shannon Curry, principal investigator of MAVEN at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder and lead author of the study in a release. 'The cannonball, in this case, is the heavy ions crashing into the atmosphere really fast and splashing neutral atoms and molecules out.' Previous findings—like the imbalance between lighter and heavier argon isotopes in Mars' atmosphere—offered only indirect clues, pointing to sputtering's fingerprints without capturing the act itself. Since lighter isotopes naturally reside higher in the atmosphere, their scarcity compared to heavier ones strongly suggested they had been knocked away into space. And the only known process capable of selectively removing these lighter isotopes is sputtering. 'It is like we found the ashes from a campfire,' said Curry. 'But we wanted to see the actual fire, in this case sputtering, directly.' Now, using data from three instruments aboard MAVEN—the Solar Wind Ion Analyzer, the Magnetometer, and the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer—researchers have, for the first time, captured sputtering in action. Additionally, the team needed measurements across the dayside and the nightside of the planet at low altitudes, which takes years to observe. By combining data from three of MAVEN's instruments, scientists created the first detailed map linking sputtered argon to incoming solar wind. The map showed argon atoms high in the Martian atmosphere, precisely where energetic particles had slammed into it—clear, real-time evidence of sputtering in action. Even more striking, the process was occurring at a rate four times higher than expected, with activity intensifying during solar storms. This direct observation confirms that sputtering was a major driver of atmospheric loss during Mars' early years, when the young Sun was far more active. 'These results establish sputtering's role in the loss of Mars' atmosphere and in determining the history of water on Mars,' said Curry. The discovery helps fill a major gap in our understanding of Mars' transformation from a once-habitable planet to the cold, dry world we see today. It also provides critical insight into how planets evolve and what it might take for them to remain habitable. The findings have been published this week in Science Advances.
Yomiuri Shimbun
a day ago
- Science
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Study Doubts Water Flows Caused Streaks on Martian Slopes
NASA / Handout via Reuters Dark finger-like slope streaks extending across the dusty Martian surface in a region called Arabia Terra are seen in this NASA satellite photo released on May 19. WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Images taken of Mars from orbit dating back as far as the 1970s have captured curious dark streaks running down the sides of cliffs and crater walls that some scientists have construed as possible evidence of flows of liquid water, suggesting that the planet harbors environments suitable for living organisms. A new study casts doubt on that interpretation. Examining about 500,000 of these sinewy features spotted in satellite images, the researchers concluded they were created probably through dry processes that left the superficial appearance of liquid flows, underscoring the view of Mars as a desert planet currently inhospitable to life — at least on its surface. The data indicated that formation of these streaks is driven by the accumulation of fine-grain dust from the Martian atmosphere on sloped terrain that is then knocked down the slopes by triggers such as wind gusts, meteorite impacts and marsquakes. 'The tiny dust particles can create flow-like patterns without liquid. This phenomenon occurs because extremely fine dust can behave similarly to a liquid when disturbed — flowing, branching and creating finger-like patterns as it moves downslope,' said Adomas Valantinas, a postdoctoral researcher in planetary sciences at Brown University and coleader of the study published on May 19 in the journal Nature Communications. 'It's similar to how dry sand can flow like water when poured. But on Mars, the ultra-fine particles and low gravity enhance these fluid-like properties, creating features that might be mistaken for water flows when they're actually just dry material in motion,' Valantinas added. The study examined about 87,000 satellite images — including those obtained between 2006 and 2020 by a camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter — of slope streaks, which form suddenly and fade over a period of years. They average roughly 600-775 meters long, sometimes branching out and going around obstacles. The slope streaks were concentrated mostly in the northern hemisphere, particularly in three major clusters: at the plains of Elysium Planitia, the highlands of Arabia Terra and the vast Tharsis volcanic plateau including the Olympus Mons volcano, towering about three times higher than Mount Everest. The researchers said limitations in the resolution of the satellite images mean they account for only a fraction of slope streaks. They estimated the actual number at up to two million. Water is considered an essential ingredient for life. Mars billions of years ago was wetter and warmer than it is today. The question remains whether Mars has any liquid water on its surface when temperatures seasonally can edge above the freezing point. It remains possible that small amounts of water — perhaps sourced from buried ice, subsurface aquifers or abnormally humid air — could mix with enough salt in the ground to create a flow even on the frigid Martian surface. That raises the possibility that the slope streaks, if caused by wet conditions, could be habitable niches. 'Generally, it is very difficult for liquid water to exist on the Martian surface, due to the low temperature and the low atmospheric pressure. But brines — very salty water — might potentially be able to exist for short periods of time,' said planetary geomorphologist and study coleader Valentin Bickel of the University of Bern in Switzerland. Given the massive volume of images, the researchers employed an advanced machine-learning method, looking for correlations involving temperature patterns, atmospheric dust deposition, meteorite impacts, the nature of the terrain and other factors. The geostatistical analysis found that slope streaks often appear in the dustiest regions and correlate with wind patterns, while some form near the sites of fresh impacts and quakes. The researchers also studied shorter-lived features called recurring slope lineae, or RSL, seen primarily in the Martian southern highlands. These grow in the summer and fade the following winter. The data suggested that these also were associated with dry processes such as dust devils — whirlwinds of dust — and rockfalls. The analysis found that both types of features were not typically associated with factors indicative of a liquid or frost origin such as high surface temperature fluctuations, high humidity or specific slope orientations. 'It all comes back to habitability and the search for life,' Bickel said. 'If slope streaks and RSL would really be driven by liquid water or brines, they could create a niche for life. However, if they are not tied to wet processes, this allows us to focus our attention on other, more promising locations.'
