Mars rover makes SHOCKING discovery! Could affect the way we live on the Red Planet

Mars rover Perseverance data shows that sound waves travel at a slower speed than on Earth. Here are all details.

NASA Mars river makes another shocking new discovery. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS via AP)

Mars rover makes another SHOCKING discovery! The Perseverance rover in its latest quest for data has presented scientist with an interesting finding. And, it can change the way we plan to stay on the Red Planet in a few decades. It is related to sound and how it travels in the Martian atmosphere. Based on the data, scientists say that sound waves in the Martian rover travel at a much slower speed than they do on Earth.

In layman's English, that means if you speak to someone on Mars, they will hear your voice a while later than they do on Earth. The instant effect we get on Earth is due to theft that sound waves travel at a speed of 343 meters per second. The speed is even said to increase in denser medium such as water. In Mars though, the situation is different. The atmosphere is almost 100 times thinner than the Earth and hence, the speeds are that much slow.

Sound waves travel slowly on Mars

Based on the data, it is shown that speed of sound waves differs based on the frequency of the sound wave. Hence, low-pitched sound travels at 240 meters per second while the high-pitched sound travels at a speed of 250 meters per second on the Red Planet. It is also said that the Mars is a very quiet planet owing to its low atmospheric pressure but the pressure changes with seasons on the planet. Hence, in the autumn months, Mars is about to get a lot louder than usual.

This new discovery could have new implementations on humanity's plans to settle on Mars in the future. The Martian atmosphere is more hostile for humans when compared to the one on Earth. And based on the situation, it seems that planet cannot sustain life in future. However, signs of water have been detected by previous rovers and missions, and NASA's Perseverance rover's mission is crucial in this regard. The rover has been in an ancient river bed since it landed in 2021 and has been collecting soil samples, which is to be sent back to Earth in a future mission.

Along with the rover, NASA is also testing a small helicopter called Ingenuity. The copter continues to host its flights on Mars and oculi provide ways to travel faster on the planet in future missions.