NASA has released the very first footage of a vehicle driving over Mars.
The Mars Perseverance rover’s metal wheels slam as it shuffles through the rocky terrain, heard in a few newly released sound bites.
NEW NASA STUDY CHALLENGES FOR WATER ON MARCH
Two versions of the March 7 90-foot ride – recorded using the rover’s entry, descent and landing (EDL) microphone – were unveiled to the public in a Wednesday news release.
The first version is the “raw cut.” Listeners, lasting longer than 16 minutes, can hear the rover’s mobility system, as well as a loud scratch that engineers believe is due to electromagnetic interference or interactions between the suspension and the surface.
In the release, it is noted that the EDL microphone was not intended for surface operations and that it underwent limited testing before it was introduced.
The second version lasts only 90 seconds and filters out the noise of the unfiltered track.
PERSEVERANCE MARS ROVER’S SUPERCAM DELIVER FIRST READ, IDENTIFY ROCK TARGET
“If I heard these sounds driving in my car, I would drag myself in and ask for a tow,” said Dave Gruel, the chief engineer, Mars 2020 EDL camera and microphone subsystem. “But if you take a moment to consider what you hear and where it was recorded, it makes perfect sense.”
On March 10, NASA also released clips from its SuperCam microphone in which both Marswind and the sound of the instrument’s laser rock jerk could be heard.
Perseverance has been extensively tested since it landed on Mars on February 18 in preparation for its next missions.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
The cruiser began searching for a suitable flight zone for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to tackle its first flight tests, and on Wednesday, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory announced it chose a place.
Then perseverance will seriously begin to look for signs of ancient microbial life.