Microphones will record the landing and the rocks, seeking evidence of past life on Mars. NBC4 Meteorologist Anthony Yanez reports for the NBC4 News on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021.
The cliché is three times a charm.
And the Mars Rover Perseverance is hoping the third try works. Two other Mars landers attempted to listen to the Red Planet but both microphones failed. Perseverance has on board two microphones.
The first is on the left side of the Rover. It's called the EDL - entry decent and landing. It will record the landing, listening to the friction of the atmosphere and the winds. It's made of store-bought hardware so it's not expected to last beyond impact with the planet.
The second mic is a lot more sophisticated. It's attached to the Super Cam. A laser on the Super Cam will zap small areas of rock in the search for organic compounds that could have related to past life on Mars. The microphone will listen to the intensity of the sound the rock creates when hit by the laser. This sound should tell scientists where the rock was formed and how much pressure was in that formation.
If you were on Mars and the Perseverance recorded you, here is how you would and why…
