The NASA probe "Insight" has recorded for the first time winds of Mars. The US space agency said the wind was blowing from the robot's solar panels. "This audio recording was an unplanned treat," said NASA expert Bruce Banerdt.
According to Nasa, the recorded gusts of wind had a speed of five to seven meters per second. The wind was blowing from northwest and then southeast.
The Nasa sent the sounds live in the network. The New York Times has published an audio report. The deep rumble sounds "a bit like a flag that blows in the wind," said the scientist Thomas Pike of Imperial College London. "It sounds really alien, and that's exactly what it is."
"Insight" landed on Mars at the end of November. For seven months the probe was on its way to the planet, about 485 million kilometers away. With "Insight", the scientists want to investigate the interior of Mars and its structure for the first time in the next two years (read an interview here).
This should be measured possible shocks and earthquakes on the planet. The scientists hope to learn about how Mars originated billions of years ago. The experimental equipment on board also includes a ramming probe built in Germany, which is supposed to hammer a hole up to five meters deep into Mars.
"Insight" is a 360 kilogram robot that does not roll but remains in one place. The total of around 650 million euros expensive mission is designed for two years.