Scientists from the United States and Canada are conducting important studies to solve the mystery of the Red Planet Mars. In the latest study, a highly sensitive device capable of measuring the wind speed on Mars has been developed. According to the details announced by the American Institute of Physics, thanks to this new anemometer, the weather change on Mars can be tracked down to the finest detail.
New anemometer will help solve mysteries on Mars
Scientists who have been working on Mars for years emphasize the difficult conditions on the Red Planet. The air temperature on Mars can vary by tens of degrees Celsius during the day. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for scientists to determine the wind speed on the planet, which has a very different atmosphere than Earth.
But thanks to the new anemometer developed by scientists, this difficult process is becoming quite simple. The device, which was also tested by Tufts University, performs ten times faster and more accurately than any previous anemometer. This is considered an important step for scientists to illuminate the mystery on Mars.
The new anemometer device, which measures the speed at which gas and air move, consists of piezoelectric transducers that use ultrasound emitters to determine how long it takes sound pulses to pass through the air on Mars. By analyzing how the waves move in the forward and reverse directions, scientists can create a three-dimensional representation of the wind speed.
The scientists involved in the study were able to record air vibrations at a speed of 1 cm/sec. The result was dozens of times less than the sensitivity threshold of previous anemometers. Robert White of The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America said:
“By measuring quickly and accurately, we hope to be able to measure not only average winds, but also turbulence and fluctuating winds. This is important for understanding atmospheric variables that could be a problem for small vehicles such as the Ingenuity helicopter that recently flew on Mars.”
Creating conditions similar to those on Mars in a wind tunnel, scientists tested the new anemometer. In the tests, the device recorded the wind speed hundreds of times per second and the data error rate was recorded as only 0.14 percent. In the future, this device is expected to be used on Mars and eliminate some question marks on the Red Planet.
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