Mars Bound: DPA Microphones to Arrive Soon
The Mars 2020 Rover, NASA's rover sent to Mars in 2020, is equipped with a suite of advanced instruments, one of which is a microphone that captures sounds on Mars. Specifically, the rover features DPA microphones, designed for technical equipment and not consumer electronics.
These microphones, part of the rover's SuperCam instrument, are designed to study Martian geology and include a microphone to capture sounds generated by its laser and other Mars sounds. The DPA 4006 omnidirectional microphones, to be precise, will serve as the "ears" of the rover, mounted on the vehicle and paired with modular active MMP-G cables that act as ultra-transparent preamps.
During the rover's descent into the Martian atmosphere, the DPA microphones will be activated, capturing the sounds of the parachute opening and the rover being lowered on a line from its descent stage to the Martian surface. The special housing protecting the microphones will ensure they withstand extreme temperatures, fluctuating travel pressure, and intense vibrations.
An MMA-A digital audio interface, located inside the vehicle body, will serve as the auditory part of the "brain," digitizing the sound to the highest quality. The digitized sound will then be transmitted to a computer in the rover via a USB connection.
The Mars 2020 Rover's microphones are not the first to record Martian sounds. Prior to the Mars 2020 Rover, a highly sensitive seismometer on board NASA's InSight Mars Lander recorded vibrations caused by Martian wind on December 1, 2018. Interestingly, the air pressure sensor on the InSight Mars Lander also recorded wind noise on the same day. However, the recordings made by these instruments were not made with audio devices specifically designed for the purpose of recording soundscapes.
The recordings made by the DPA microphones on the Mars 2020 Rover are expected to provide more accurate and detailed insights into the Martian soundscape compared to previous recordings. Work is underway on a special MMP-G amplifier housing that can be screwed to the outside of the rover, ready to capture the unique sounds of Mars.
As the Mars 2020 Rover continues its mission, the world eagerly awaits the first recordings from the DPA microphones, promising to bring the Red Planet a step closer to us all.
- The DPA microphones, mounted on the Mars 2020 Rover, are expected to offer more accurate and detailed insights into the Martian soundscape compared to previous recordings, due to their advanced design and incorporation into the SuperCam instrument.
- As the Mars 2020 Rover's mission progresses, the DPA microphones, functioning as the "ears" of the rover, will capture unique sounds of Mars, such as the sounds of its descent, parachute opening, and other ambient Martian sounds, providing a significant contribution to the field of space-and-astronomy and technology.
