Mars’ hostile environment poses significant challenges to measuring wind speed, but new developments are allowing for more accurate data to be collected. Researchers have developed a new sonic anemometry system that uses piezoelectric transducers to allow faster and more accurate measurements of Martian winds.

Capable of measuring wind speeds of up to 100 knots per second, this technology is a significant improvement over previous methods. The potential to collect more detailed data could be critical for future missions to Mars, including operations of smaller vehicles such as the Ingenuity helicopter.

Problems with measuring wind speed on Mars

Mars has an inhospitable environment, with temperatures fluctuating wildly throughout a Martian day, averaging below minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Its surface is mostly covered in red dust, and the terrain is dotted with craters, canyons, and volcanoes. And its atmosphere is extremely thin, with a density only about 1% of Earth’s.

It goes without saying that measuring wind speeds on the Red Planet is difficult. Mars landers have been able to capture measurements; some measure the rate at which materials that heat up when winds blow over them cool, while others use cameras to image the “signals” blown by the wind. Both methods of anemometry have provided valuable information about the planet’s climate and atmosphere. But astronomical instruments still need to be developed, especially with plans to send astronauts to Mars in the coming years.

Innovations in wind measurement technology

INSIDE JASA In research published by AIP on behalf of the Acoustical Society of America, researchers from Canada and the United States demonstrated a new sonic anemometer system that incorporates a pair of narrow-band piezoelectric transducers to measure the travel time of sound pulses in Martian air. The study took into account variables such as diffraction effects and wind direction.

“By measuring the time it takes for sound to travel back and forth, we can accurately measure the wind in three dimensions,” said author Robert White. “The two main advantages of this method are that it is fast and works well at low speeds.”

Implications for future missions to Mars

The researchers hope to be able to measure wind speeds of 100 mph and as low as 1 cm/s, a stark contrast to previous methods that could only record wind speeds of 1 mph and struggled to track speeds below 50 cm/s. /S.

“With fast and accurate measurements, we hope to measure not only mean winds but also turbulence and wind fluctuations,” White said. “This is important for understanding atmospheric variables that could pose problems for small craft like the Ingenuity helicopter that will soon fly to Mars.”

Accuracy and speed of the new system

The researchers selected ultrasonic transducers and sensors to operate over a wide temperature range and a narrow pressure range for carbon dioxide, the main atmospheric gas on Mars. They showed that this choice would result in only nominal error due to changes in temperature and pressure.

A look at the future of Mars exploration

“The system we developed will be 10 times faster and 10 times more accurate than any system used before,” White said. “We hope that this will provide more valuable data for future missions to Mars and provide useful information about the Martian climate, perhaps with implications for a better understanding of our planet’s climate.”