Why haven't microphones flown on missions to Mars?

As an educator, a question I hear from time to time is "What does the wind sound like on Mars?" Since the atmosphere is so thin, it would probably be hard to hear and have the frequency shifted, but the blowing sand rasping against the probe would be easier to hear. The microphones haven't flown on many probes mostly because the science return is pretty limited, but as the article mentions, it could be a great diagnostic tool if the rover develops a problem with moving parts. http://www.astronomy.com/magazine/ask-astro/2016/06/sounds-from-mars

Submitted March 29, 2019 at 09:58PM by westtxfun https://ift.tt/2FJQTQ5