We’ve never had a decent microphone on Mars to hear what sounds might actually sound like in the planet’s ultra-thin atmosphere. That may change in a few years with the Mars Rover 2020 mission. But a recently trapped pebble on Curiosity gives us some idea of what to expect:
Since sound is a pressure wave — molecules bunching up and spreading out in wave patterns — the thin atmosphere would make every sound much quieter on Mars than Earth. In addition, the atmospheric chemistry makes the speed of sound lower on Mars, which in turn makes the sound pitch lower, though not by a huge margin.
Regardless of the sounds on the red planet, veggies may be grown there one day—beyond the handiwork of Hollywood studios. Think of them as the hanging gardens of Mars.
Margaret Atwood’s classic dystopian sci-fi drama, The Handmaid’s Tale, has been made into a miniseries for Hulu. Reviews so far are promising. I’ve watched the first three episodes and so far, given the social trajectory we are on, it’s creepy as hell.