Breaking the sound barrier on Mars.

[ryan]

I was flying the DGIV at Mars, and i went through Mach 1 which is the sound barrier here on earth.
So i started wondering would the sound barrier be a different speed on Mars with the lack of atmosphere and all. Is there even a barrier on Mars, or can it be heard like here on Earth, or will it sound differently, higher sound pitch or fainter something like that.
Thanks.
Ryan.

 

[Urwumpe]

It is exactly the same phenomena as on Earth, the velocity of sound is also not much lower than on Earth. The speed of sound depends on density and temperature.

 

[Hielor]

I was flying the DGIV at Mars, and i went through Mach 1 which is the sound barrier here on earth.
So i started wondering would the sound barrier be a different speed on Mars with the lack of atmosphere and all. Is there even a barrier on Mars, or can it be heard like here on Earth, or will it sound differently, higher sound pitch or fainter something like that.
Thanks.
Ryan.

The speed of sound on Mars is lower than that on Earth.
http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/atmosphere/q0249.shtml

 

[agentgonzo]

on Mars with the lack of atmosphere and all.

Just to point out... Mars has an atmosphere.

 

[ryan]

Just to point out... Mars has an atmosphere.

I was comparing the Martian atmo with ours, it's very thin, so i used a lack i didnt say no atmo at all.

 

[tori]

As the Mach number represents the ratio between the speed of a moving body and the speed of sound in a given medium, going Mach 1 anywhere means you're going at the speed of sound, right through the sound barrier, in that medium.

 

[spcefrk]

1) Mars has a thin atmosphere but it's not nonexistent

2) You can calculate the speed of sound through a medium using one of several equations, not the least of which are:

a = sqrt(yRT) = sqrt(yP/rho)

where:
a = speed of sound (in ft/s or m/s)
y = Specific Heat Ratio (1.4 for earth's mixture of air)
R = Gas Constant (1716 (ft-lb)/(slug-R) or 287 J/(kg-K) for earth air)
T = Gas Temperature (in Rankine or K)
P = Gas Pressure (in Pa or lb/ft^2)
rho = Gas Density (in kg/m^3 or slug/ft^3)

If you know R, then all you need to know is Temperature. If you don't know R then you'll need to use density and pressure instead. I'm not sure what the constants would look like for Mars. Mach 1 will indeed indicate when you are traveling at the speed of sound

3) I imagine (though do not know for certain) that the MFD you were using probably reads in the current gas properties and is probably roughly accurate for Mars.

4) The ground speed on Mars corresponding to Mach 1 at a given altitude will be very different than the ground speed on Earth at Mach 1 and the same altitude. But they are both Mach 1 -- traveling at the sound speeds for the corresponding atmospheres.