NASA releases two audio clips of Marsquakes, captured by InSight lander, on Mars

The Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) was developed by the French space agency CNES and partners.

|Oct 02, 2019, 10:57:43 IST

NASA on Tuesday released two audio clips of seismic activity on Mars after an "exquisitely sensitive" detector was set down on the planet's surface late last year.The quakes, far too quiet to be picked up by the human ear, were recorded by the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) in May and July.Scientists hope that studying how seismic waves move through the planet's interior will reveal the deep inner structure of Mars for the first time.[caption id="attachment_7438911" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

The InSight lander that captured the earthquakes. image credit:NASA[/caption]About 20 so-called "marsquakes" have been detected so far by the dome-shaped SEIS, which is carried by NASA's InSight lander that arrived on Mars in November.The audio — a low, rumbling noise — has been speeded up and processed to be audible through headphones.One quake was magnitude 3.7 and the other was magnitude 3.3.

"Both suggest that the Martian crust is like a mix of the Earth's crust and the Moon's," NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said. "Mars, with its cratered surface, is slightly more Moon-like, with seismic waves ringing for a minute or so, whereas quakes on Earth can come and go in seconds."The SEIS was developed by the French space agency CNES and partners.The audio is available here and here.

Careless Whispers: Scientists discover that plants can 'talk' to each other using smells

Japanese scientists have recorded a video that shows plants, in certain conditions, communicate with each other using mists that carry smells. The discovery, reveals that plants release a fine mist of airborne compounds, to warn nearby plants of potential dangers

Life on Mars? European Space Agency’s Orbiter discovers ice water deposits at equator

European Space Agency's Mars Express Orbiter has identified massive ice and ice water deposits beneath the surface of Mars. The Mars Express orbiter was also the first to confirmed the presence of ice on Mars in 2004

Microsoft briefly overtakes Apple as the most valuable company, Apple back on top again

At its peak during the session, Microsoft's value reached $2.903 trillion, with a 2% surge. As of writing this article, Apple closed at $2.89 trillion, whereas Microsoft closed at $2.86 trillion

Even NASA is facing a tough time, starts layoffs following major budget cuts

NASA is facing some massive budget cuts, because of which, it has been forced to postpone some upcoming missions. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has been hit hard by recent federal budget cuts, resulting in the layoff of 100 contractors last week

ISRO, NASA's NISAR satellite to get ready by Jan-end, will monitor Earth's snow-covered regions

The NISAR satellite which has been developed jointly ISRO and NASA, should be ready for launch by the end of January 2024. The collaboration between NASA and ISRO on NISAR is the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission

Up Next