Mars Microphone

The Phoenix lander has a microphone that is currently turned off. Are they ever going to turn it on? Surely, it could provide useful science data. It might be able to hear the wind. Possibly the thermal cycling of the subsurface ice might be audible. When the TEGA vibrators are on, the microphone might return useful engineering data that might help to diagnose any problems that might arise. Why not turn it on? At the very least, it would help with public outreach.

The microphone would be really useful and interesting, but I think that it has been kept off since Phoenix landed because there may be a problem with its circuitry that could possibly cause a bigger short circuit that might endanger the entire lander.

That's why it has not yet been used. I've heard that towards the very end of the mission, the managers might switch the mike on when the risk is not as great. Here's hoping!

Maybe it's a power consumption thing. Most probes are very tight with their power. There usually isn't enough to power all instruments at once.

Hi!!
Since The Phoenix Lander is kinda of Spin-off project of the (in)famous Mars Polar Lander; Phoenix has a microphone like it's predecessor there on mars.
But (I think) due to budget limits (or other thinks like this) it has been turned off also because there's NO SOFTWARE to manage it.
I wonder also WHY ON MARS NASA NEVER used a CHEAP THINK like a trivial webcam.
I said LIKE: I know that on mars poles thmperatures are way far from the one here on earth!
Also I agree it would quickly overload the memory, but I think even a low resolution device would have helped ALOT engineers to investigate the mars soil strange behaviour...
Anyone agree?