# What does Mars sound like?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-mars-sound-like/208943>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 22, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-mars-sound-like/208943 "2003-10-22T17:48:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SirRay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@SirRay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirRay)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-mars-sound-like/208943/1 "2003-10-22T17:48:45Z")

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For some reason I started wondering how sounds would be affected in a thin atmosphere, and from there it was a short leap to wondering what the ambient sounds would be on the planet Mars.  
Researching it, I found that there was no microphone on the Viking landers of the 1970s (although Carl Sagan had suggested it), and while there was slated to be a microphone on the Mars Polar Lander, we all know how that turned out.  
A few sites (notably CNN) often suggestions (simulations?) with regard to the background noise of Mars, but are there any direct recordings from other Mars landers/probes etc?

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**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-mars-sound-like/208943/2 "2003-10-22T20:07:56Z")

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It’s ok, that microphone’s getting a [second chance](http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/marsmic/) on the French [Netlander](http://ganymede.ipgp.jussieu.fr/GB/projets/netlander/) mission launching 2007.

If you’re interested, back in the '70’s someone turned data from asteroid microfragments or radiation (can’t remember which) from a deep space probe (Pioneer or Voyager I think) into sound. Their tape sounded like being in a hailstorm with a tin umbrella.

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**Author:** ![Redsland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9de0a6/32.png) [@Redsland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Redsland)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-mars-sound-like/208943/3 "2003-10-22T20:52:28Z")

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Unfortunately, no one is sure what Mars sounds like.

The bigger question is, what does Uranus _smell_ like?  
😃

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**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\
**Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-mars-sound-like/208943/4 "2003-10-22T22:06:40Z")

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[Like this](http://www.content.loudeye.com/scripts/hurl.exe?clipid=017190901010006550&cid=600111)? 😛

Warning: Link contains sound.