Cassini INMS: Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer Telemetry for Saturn Mission

Cassini Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer telemetry packets contain all science data from the instrument's checkout through the entire Saturn tour. Each packet is converted from raw data numbers to dimensional values and organized as a spreadsheet row. NASA produced this dataset, which was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing atmospheric composition changes over time based on mass spectrometry readings.
• Calibrating instrument performance models using telemetry from checkout periods.
• Studying Saturn orbit insertion (SOI) events through detailed telemetry records.
• Validating derived scientific products against raw, converted packet data.

Strengths

• Contains all science telemetry packets for the entire Cassini mission.
• Data items are converted from raw data numbers to dimensional values.
• Includes data from instrument checkout, Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI), and the full Saturn tour.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Telemetry packets received directly from the Cassini spacecraft's Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer instrument.

Time Range

Covers the entire Cassini mission, including checkout and Saturn tour.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:41:55.005600; freshness should be verified.