New NASA lander captures first sounds of Martian wind

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. >> NASA’s new Mars lander has captured the first sounds of the “really unworldly” Martian wind.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory released audio clips of the alien wind Friday. 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 10-15 mph. These are the first sounds from Mars that are detectible by human ears, according to the researchers.

“Reminds me of sitting outside on a windy summer afternoon ... In some sense, this is what it would sound like if you were sitting on the InSight lander on Mars,” Cornell University’s Don Banfield said.

Scientists involved in the project agree the sound has an otherworldly quality to it. The noise is of the wind blowing against InSight’s solar panels and the resulting vibration of the entire spacecraft.