Overview
- Researchers identified 55 triboelectric discharge events over roughly two Martian years using data from Perseverance’s SuperCam microphone.
- The events coincided with dust devils and advancing storm fronts, pointing to windblown sand and dust as the charging source.
- Electrical and acoustic signatures recorded at the surface provide the first definitive confirmation after decades of only indirect hints.
- The study warns of risks to rovers, a Mars sample-return ascent vehicle, and future crews, calling for mitigation in hardware design.
- The electrical activity may enhance oxidizing chemistry that degrades organic molecules, complicating the search for preserved biosignatures.