Artist’s illustration of Artemis astronauts working on the Moon.(Photo courtesy of NASA) Silicon Audio sensors are going to the Moon! Silicon Audio is excited to formally announce that we were selected to build the seismometer for the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station (LEMS) of Artemis III! The Silicon Audio sensor is expected to be the only sensor on board for this voyage, and we are thrilled to have this opportunity to…

You’ve read about our sensors in space analog environments, placed near volcanoes, or buried deep in boreholes. Today we’re diving into a project that would send our sensors deep under the sea. Silicon Audio has teamed up with Subsea Data Systems on their development of Sensor Monitoring and Reliable Telecommunication (SMART) Cables by equipping each repeater with one of our seismometers. This technology will revolutionize our ability to detect early…

The Creation of the Digitizer and TerraHub In the early years of Silicon Audio Seismic, the team worked on a project with the Department of Energy (DOE) developing infrasound sensors. In creating the experimental design, it became glaringly difficult to connect all the analog sensors in an array. Gears shifted to creating a digital system and as a result, the inception of the digitizer began.  The motivation was simple: create an…

In our very first newsletter, we reviewed the history of Silicon Audio’s inception with micromachined-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and our audio beginning with the initial shift into Seismic. For this post, we’ll be breaking down the prototypes that led to the model you are familiar with today.    The first sensor functioned more as a crude version of a seismometer.  It was a concept validation that a non-MEMS, interferometer built at a macro scale could be created…

In our previous newsletters, we’ve touched on the field deployments in Gulkana and Greenland for the Seismometer to Investigate Ice and Ocean Structure (SIIOS). These functioned as a dress rehearsal for future missions to Europa, the icy moon of Jupiter. On the other side of this research is the development of the actual instrument that will be sent for deployment. In this post, we will delve into the journey of sensor development,…

A Study of Geothermal Monitoring Ever since the inception of our newsletters, Silicon Audio has taken you on a journey through our past, sharing the captivating old projects we’ve worked on. However, today, we’re breaking the pattern to shine a spotlight on a current ongoing project, providing an exclusive glimpse into Silicon Audio’s present activities.   Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, working in collaboration with the Department of Energy, has many research…

An Exploration of an Analog for Icy Ocean Worlds In our previous newsletters, we explored the icy depths of Interior Alaska to learn about the successes and learning opportunities of the Gulkana glacier deployment. We travel once again to another polar region to continue the research of the Seismometer to Investigate Ice and Ocean Structure (SIIOS) funded by NASA. After troubleshooting the experimental design used during the Gulkana mission, the…

This write-up is a continuation of the last newsletter where we used our sensors to measure seismic activity at the Gulkana glacier. The Silicon Audio team ventured out to the interiors of Alaska as an analog for Europa; there, we tested the viability of the experimental design of the proposed Europa lander. Although the team of scientists faced a few challenges, the mission was an overall success.   Our sensors were put to…

A Study of Earth’s Artic Domains In the fall of 2017, Silicon Audio embarked on a journey to the icy terrains of the Gulkana Glacier in the interior of Alaska. This project was sponsored by NASA’s Planetary Science and Technology Through Analog Research (PSTAR) program. The mission: use seismology to determine the thickness of the ice on Gulkana as a stand-in for Europa’s icy crust.   Europa is highly remarked in…

Silicon Audio has sensors all over the world. We’re even shooting for our sensors to be all over the solar system, but we’ll touch more on that on a later day. Today, we are going to explore a sensor whose story dates back to 1985 in the city of Arequipa, Peru. In 1985, El Misti erupted and caused disastrous effects that rippled through the nation. Scientists in the area began…