On May 5, 2018, the NASA InSight Lander was launched into space with a highly sensitive seismometer onboard. Just a few days after making landfall on the surface of Mars, the seismometer picked up the beautiful sound of the blowing winds coming off of the Elysium Planitia, a broad plain that straddles the planet’s equator.
The spacecraft’s seismometer and air pressure sensor picked up vibrations from 10-15 mph (16-24 kph) winds as they blew across Mars’ Elysium Planitia on Dec. 1, 2018. 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.
ICYMI: I've been feeling the Martian breeze on my solar panels. Listen to this calm and definitely otherworldly audio I’ve picked up.
? The plains are alive with the #SoundsOfMars! ?— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) December 7, 2018
Missed the news briefing on the #SoundsOfMars caused by Martian wind? Listen here: https://t.co/1De4MqeM1M pic.twitter.com/hGBouPZuQJ
— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) December 7, 2018
