Mission on Mars: The Micro Supercam developed by the ISAE-SUPAERO of Toulouse recorded the sound of the first Martian flight

After recording the noise of the atmosphere of March, Supercam, the Toulouse instrument of the Rover Perseverance of NASA, recorded for the first time on the red planet, the sounds of the ingenuity helicopter during a flight-Assroan of the Jezero crater.An extra-Martian sound!

It was May 1st.

The super micro Toulousain du Rover Perseverance recorded an extra-Martian sound.That of the Ingénuity drone, during its 4th flight above the Jezero crater.

This space "mosquito" therefore disturbed the calm of March for the first time...A little mechanical noise in the distance!

Inguity generates a "Mi" in the Mars atmosphere

Located 80 meters from the rover at the time of its takeoff, the small helicopter rose 5 meters above the ground before traveling a distance of 133 meters.He then returned to land in the place where he had taken off.The Supercam scientific microphone, developed by Isae-Supaero in Toulouse, recorded the sound issued by the rotation of the Martian drone blades during its flight.

This sound has a characteristic frequency of 84 Hz.It is equivalent to the serious "Mi" of a piano or to the bass voice of a human being.

Scientists amazed acoustic performance

This small noise captured more than 55 million kilometers from the earth is an important technical feat.Toulouse scientists who analyze them and dissect them are also very proud of the performance of the Supercam microphone.

"The tests carried out in a Martian atmosphere simulator to design this instrument and our theories of the propagation of the sound indicated that the microphone would very difficult to capture the sounds of the helicopter.We had to be lucky to record the helicopter at such a distance.We are very satisfied to have succeeded in obtaining this recording which turns out to be a gold mine for our understanding of the Martian atmosphere ".

The Toulouse micro pierces the mystery of Martian sounds

Developed jointly by the ISAE-SUPAERO and a consortium of CNRS laboratories and its partners, coordinated by the CNES, the Supercam microphone is derived from a general public model adapted to resist the Martian environment.He pursues 3 scientific and technical objectives of the Mission March 2020 mission:

On this subject, the editorial staff recommends you

The microphone had been started for the first time a few hours after the landing of Perseverance, in March.He then recorded the first Martian sounds from turbulence in the atmosphere.It is used daily in conjunction with the laser removal of the rocks for the chemical analysis of Mars.