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NASA’s Perseverance rover sends back Mars soundscape playlist

<p>Nearly two years after its <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/mars-is-the-place-in-space-to-be/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">launch</a>, and almost 18 months after <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/mars-news-all-good/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">landing on Mars</a>, NASA’s Perseverance rover has hours of audio recordings from the red planet’s atmosphere.</p> <p>So, what does Mars sound like? On the whole, it’s quiet. Very quiet. But the recordings did pick up interesting weather events and changes which give us a better overall picture of Mars’s clime.</p> <p>Perseverance’s primary mission is to explore sediments in a dormant river delta on the edge of the 45 kilometre-wide <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/weekly-edition/one-year-mars-perseverance-rover/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jezero Crater</a>, to learn about the crater’s formation and hopefully find signs of ancient life. But microphones are light and cheap, so it made sense to add a couple to the rover’s instruments.</p> <p>The <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/engineering/the-bizarre-acoustics-of-mars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">first audio from Mars</a> was sent by Perseverance earlier this year. Now, a year’s worth of recording from the Martian atmosphere has been condensed into about five hours of sound.</p> <p>The findings are due to be presented by Baptiste Chide of the Los Alamos National Lab during a seminar, “Mars soundscape: Review of the first sounds recorded by the Perseverance microphones,” at the <a href="https://acoustics.org/world-wide-press-room/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">182nd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America</a> tomorrow, May 25, in Denver  in the US.</p> <p>With no large dynamical natural phenomena, extant animal species (that we know of), industrial civilisation, or extreme weather events, you’d expect Mars to be pretty silent. And it is. Under the same conditions on Earth, sounds are 20 decibels louder than on Mars.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p192195-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> </div> </div> <p>“It is so quiet that, at some point, we thought the microphone was broken!” says Chide.</p> <p>But, like giving a new music album a second run-through, closer listening revealed some fascinating phenomena. The group heard much variability in the wind and abrupt changes in the atmosphere, see-sawing from calm to intense gusts.</p> <p>The team noticed that the red planet’s soundscape is seasonal. During winter, carbon dioxide freezes in the polar caps. This causes changes in atmospheric density, and environmental volume fluctuates by about 20%. Atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> also causes high-pitched sounds in the distance to become fainter.</p> <p>The rover also used laser sparks to calculate the speed of sound’s dispersion, confirming a theory that high-frequency sounds travel faster than low frequencies.</p> <p>“Mars is the only place in the solar system where that happens in the audible bandwidth because of the unique properties of the carbon dioxide molecule that composes the atmosphere,” notes Chide. While the rover will continue to record audio as it travels across Mars’s surface, Chide believes that the technique could be applied to studies of other celestial bodies. Planets and moons with denser and more volatile atmospheres, such as Venus and Titan, may yield even more information as sound waves interact more strongly and travel further.</p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=192195&amp;title=NASA%E2%80%99s+Perseverance+rover+sends+back+Mars+soundscape+playlist" width="1" height="1" /></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/nasa-perseverance-rover-soundscape/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/evrim-yazgin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evrim Yazgin</a>. Evrim Yazgin has a Bachelor of Science majoring in mathematical physics and a Master of Science in physics, both from the University of Melbourne.</em></p> <p><em>Image: NASA</em></p> </div>

Technology

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Australia is putting a rover on the Moon in 2024 to search for water

<p>Last month the Australian Space Agency <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/oct/13/australia-to-build-20kg-rover-to-head-to-moon-in-joint-mission-with-nasa">announced</a> plans to send an Australian-made rover to the Moon by as early as 2026, under a deal with NASA. The rover will collect lunar soil containing oxygen, which could eventually be used to support human life in space.</p> <p>Although the <a href="https://www.pm.gov.au/media/australias-first-mission-moon">deal with NASA</a> made headlines, a separate mission conducted by private companies in Australia and Canada, in conjunction with the University of Technology Sydney, may see Australian technology hunting water on the Moon as soon as mid-2024.</p> <p>If all goes according to plan, it will be the first rover with Australian-made components to make it to the Moon.</p> <h2>Roving in search of water</h2> <p>The ten-kilogram rover, measuring 60x60x50cm, will be launched on board the Hakuto lander made by <a href="https://ispace-inc.com/">ispace</a>, a lunar robotic exploration company based in Japan.</p> <p>The rover itself, also built by ispace, will have an integrated robotic arm created by the private companies <a href="https://stardust-technologies.com/">Stardust Technologies</a> (based in Canada) and Australia’s <a href="https://www.explorespace.com.au/">EXPLOR Space Technology</a> (of which I am one of the founders).</p> <p>Using cameras and sensors, the arm will collect high-resolution visual and haptic data to be sent back to the mission control centre at the University of Technology Sydney.</p> <p>It will also collect information on the physical and chemical composition of lunar dust, soil and rocks — specifically with a goal of finding water. We know water is present within the Moon’s soil, but we have yet to find a way to extract it for practical use.</p> <p>The big push now is to identify regions on the Moon where water sources are more abundant, and which can deliver more usable water for human consumption, sample processing, mining operations and food growth.</p> <p>This would also set the foundation for the establishment of a manned Moon base, which could serve as a transit station for further space exploration (including on Mars).</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429440/original/file-20211031-15910-fccea3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">The ispace moon lander was displayed in Washington DC.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy of Australian Embassy staff</span></span></p> <h2>Moon-grade materials</h2> <p>Once the Hakuto lander takes off, the first challenge will be to ensure it lands successfully with the rover intact. The rover will have to survive an extreme environment on the lunar surface.</p> <p>As the moon rotates relative to the Sun, it experiences day and night cycles, just like Earth. But one day on the Moon lasts 29.5 Earth days. And surface temperatures shift dramatically during this time, reaching up to 127℃ during the day and falling as low as -173℃ at night.</p> <p>The rover and robotic arm will also need to withstand the effects of space radiation, vibrations during launch, shock from the launch and landing, and exposure to dust and water.</p> <p>At the same time, the arm must be light enough to conduct advanced manoeuvres, such as grabbing and collecting moon rocks. Advanced space-grade aluminium developed in Australia will help protect it from damage.</p> <p><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/429443/original/file-20211031-15-1csuz38.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" alt="" /> <span class="caption">The TechLab antenna chamber at the The University of Technology Sydney is being used to test communication signals which will be critical to this mission.</span></p> <p>The team behind the mission is currently in the process of testing different designs of the robotic arm, and figuring out the best way to integrate it with the rover. It will be tested together with the rover at a new lunar test bed, at the EXPLOR Space Technologies facility in New South Wales.</p> <p>Like the one used by NASA, this test bed can mimic the physical and chemical conditions on the Moon. It will be critical to determining whether the rover can stay mobile and continue to function under different environmental stressors.</p> <h2>Step into your astronaut boots</h2> <p>The rover will also send back data that allows people on Earth to experience the Moon with virtual reality (VR) goggles and a sensor glove. Haptic data collected back by the robotic arm will essentially let us “feel” anything the arm touches on the lunar surface.</p> <p>We plan to make the experience available as a free app — and hope it inspires future generations of space explorers.</p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joshua-chou-405757">Joshua Chou</a>, Senior lecturer, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-technology-sydney-936">University of Technology Sydney</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-is-putting-a-rover-on-the-moon-in-2024-to-search-for-water-170097">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: iSpace</em></p>

International Travel

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Royal memorabilia once owned by Prince William and Kate is up for grabs

<p>An impressive piece of royal memorabilia is up for grabs.</p> <p>The personal vehicle of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, a black Range Rover, is up for auction.</p> <p>The pricey item has been labelled as a “rare opportunity to acquire a vehicle with royal roots”.</p> <p>Prince William and Duchess Kate used the luxury vehicle in 2013 – the same year Prince George was born.</p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7829433/prince-george-gallery.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7c39db37e9b14b68afc80c1996819c99" /></p> <p>It is now being offered by auction house Bonhams with the expectation for it to sell between $54,000 - $72,000.</p> <p>The car has been billed as an “ex-royal household” vehicle and even comes with its original number plate.</p> <p>"Usually, Land Rovers and Range Rovers used by the Royal Household have the vehicle registration numbers changed once out of service, making it difficult to confirm their famous history," the<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/26808/preview_lot/5450856/" target="_blank" title="listing on Bonhams' website">listing on Bonhams' website</a><span> </span>reads.</p> <p>Range Rovers and Land Rovers have long been popular choices for the royal family.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840875/william-kate-range-rover-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/2719de4bf3b74a31bba2f969d5c75146" /></p> <p>"Overall we are told the car is in excellent condition and drives very well, presenting itself as a rare opportunity to acquire a vehicle with Royal roots," the listing says.</p> <p>The car isn't being sold by William and Kate, as it was purchased in July 2020, from a used car dealership before it came into Bonhams’ possession.</p> <p>The late Prince Philip’s 2016-plated Range Rover was up for sale back in 2018 with the eye-watering price of $234,340.</p> <p>The vehicle was fit out with custom features, including covert lighting and police emergency lights, along with grab handles for the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7840876/william-kate-range-rover.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/321473e48dce4823b4ccd438cd055b81" /></p> <p>Most notably, the same vehicle was used by Prince Philip to pick up then-US President Barack Obama during a state visit to the United Kingdom back in 2016.</p>

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