Music on Mars? A Musical Adventure for Astronauts and the Space Cadets Who Love Them.

Using the SuperCam microphone mounted on the Mars Perseverance Rover, the sounds of the Martian environment were observed for the first time. A recording was made not only of the rush of martian wind, but also of the sounds of the Perseverance rover motors, the mechanical parts of the Ingenuity rotorcraft, the popping sound of laser sparking on stone and the sounds from other instruments on board. These audio samples served as as reference sources in order to compare the acoustic processes of Earth and Mars. It was discovered that: - The acoustic impedance of the martian atmosphere results in approximately 20 dB weaker sounds on Mars than on Earth (if produced by the same source.) - The acoustic attenuation range on Mars was discovered to be roughly between 20Hz to 20kHz. - On Mars low-pitched sounds travel at about 240 m/s (537 mph) while higher-pitched sounds move at 250 m/s (559 mph) due to the low atmospheric pressure 0.6 kPa (170 times lower than on Earth) and 97 percent CO2-dominated atmosphere (compared to 0.04 percent CO2 on Earth). The results were published by NASA in Journal Nature as to these findings.  [https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04679-0] and on the Nasa website [https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/sounds Referencing the paper published by NASA in Journal Nature as to these findings, analog astronaut and MDRS 286 crew artist Scott Beibin worked with master audio engineer John Knott to develop a software filter that could be used during Ptelepathetique concert performed during a two week immersive astronaut training in order to simulate the sounds of Mars. During the talk at 37C3 Beibin will discuss and demonstrate the comparison between the acoustic properties of the atmospheres of Earth and Mars via a demonstration of the software as well as musical Ptelepathetique performance. During the talk he will also present a short summary of the design patterns of the The Mars Desert Research Station which is used to train astronauts, researchers and students for offworld expeditions to the Red Planet. Additionally he will touch on the other aspects of his mission including 3D scanning of the surrounding geology as well as 3D printing of objects useful at the base using locally gathered and processed clay. This should be an out-of-this-world treat for the Space Cadet hackers and others who like making astronauts out of themselves. ++ Ptelepathetique is a musical project of inventor, engineer and artist Scott Beibin that focuses on the creation of instrumental cinematic psychoacoustic soundscapes designed to stimulate focus and creativity. Concerts usually happen outdoors in natural settings while using off-grid generated power while consisting of a mix of original musical composition as well as improvisation. Ptelepathetique is also the soundtrack for Beibin's projects The Groucho Fractal Show, AncientScan and the Mandelbot Ecotech Roadshow. ++ The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is a Space analog facility in Utah that supports Earth-based research in pursuit of the technology, operations, and science required for human space exploration. The remotely isolated facility created by The Mars Society offers scientists, engineers and students rigorous training for human operations on Mars as is surrounded by a landscape that is an actual geologic Mars analog. Using recordings from the SuperCam microphone mounted on the Mars Perseverance Rover, the acoustic processes of the Martian environment were characterized for the first time. The microphone on board the rover recorded the Ingenuity rotorcraft and laser-induced sparks as as audio reference sources. It was discovered that: - The acoustic impedance of the martian atmosphere results in approximately 20 dB weaker sounds on Mars than on Earth (if produced by the same source.) - The acoustic attenuation range on Mars was discovered to be roughly between 20Hz to 20kHz. - Two different speeds of sound were observed on Mars. Low-pitched sounds travel at about 240 meters per second (537 mph) while higher-pitched sounds move at 250 meters per second (559 mph) due to the low pressure 97 percent CO2-dominated atmosphere (compared to 0.04 percent CO2 on Earth). - The atmospheric pressure on Mars is about 0.6 kPa (170 times lower than on Earth).