Year: 2007
Type: book
Abstract: In recent years increased attention has been paid to the potential uses of acoustics for extraterrestrial exploration. The extent to which acoustics per se is used in these studies varies greatly. First, there are the cases in which acoustics is simply the medium through which some other time-varying non-acoustic signal (such as the output of a cosmic ray detector) is communicated to humans. Second, perturbations in a non-acoustic signal (e.g. EM) are interpreted through mechanisms relating to acoustic perturbations in the source material itself. Third, some probes have made direct measurements of acoustic signals which have been generated by the probe itself, as is done for example to infer the local atmospheric sound speed from the time-of-flight of an acoustic pulses over a short distance (O(10 cm)). Fourth, some studies have discussed ways of interpreting the natural acoustic signals generated by the extraterrestrial environment itself. The report discusses these cases and the limitations, implications and opportunities for extraterrestrial exploration using acoustics.
Author: T.G. Leighton
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W562673297