Apollo 12 Solar Wind Measurements at 28-Second Resolution

28-second resolution plasma spectra from the Apollo 12 solar wind experiment provide the highest time resolution data available from that mission. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration collected this data, which includes proton density, bulk speed, and flow angles. Data gaps of about 15 days occur during each lunar night when no solar wind signal is present.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind plasma dynamics based on proton density and bulk speed measurements.
• Analyzing temporal variability in solar wind composition based on the alpha-to-proton ratio.
• Studying the effects of the lunar night on data collection based on the described 15-day data gaps.
• Calibrating or validating space weather models based on high-resolution thermal speed and flow angle data.

Strengths

• Provides the highest time resolution plasma data (28 seconds per spectrum) available from the Apollo 12 solar wind experiment.
• Includes reliability indicators via housekeeping and fit parameters for the calculated plasma values.
• Data originates from the authoritative National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Regular data gaps of about 15 days per lunation limit continuous time-series analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from the solar wind experiment onboard the Apollo 12 mission.

Time Range

Covers the operational period of the Apollo 12 solar wind experiment.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 14:28:02.336719; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lunar surface at the Apollo 12 landing site.