The Jet Propulsion Laboratory released audio clips of the alien wind after the low-frequency rumblings were collected by the InSight lander during its first week of operations at Mars.
The wind is estimated to be blowing at between 10 and 15mph. These are the first sounds from Mars that are detectable by human ears, according to the researchers.
The noise is of the wind blowing against InSight’s solar panels and the resulting vibration of the entire spacecraft. The sounds were recorded by an air pressure sensor inside the lander that is part of a weather station, as well as the seismometer on the deck of the spacecraft.
The low frequencies are a result of Mars’ thin air density and even more so the seismometer itself; it is meant to detect underground seismic waves, well below the threshold of human hearing.
