DMSP F16 SSIES: Satellite Thermal Plasma Measurements, 1-Second Resolution

Special Sensors-Ions, Electrons, and Scintillation (SSIES) instrument suite data from the DMSP F16 satellite. The package includes a Retarding Potential Analyzer, Ion Drift meter, scintillation meter, and Langmuir probe, providing 1-second resolution measurements. Data is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling ionospheric density and temperature profiles based on Retarding Potential Analyzer (RPA) data
• Analyzing ion drift velocities and electric fields based on Ion Drift meter (IDM) measurements
• Studying scintillation effects on radio signals based on scintillation meter readings
• Characterizing electron density and temperature based on Langmuir probe data

Strengths

• Data originates from the authoritative National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• Instrument suite includes multiple complementary sensors (RPA, IDM, scintillation meter, Langmuir probe)
• High temporal resolution of 1 second for time-series analysis

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from the SSIES instrument suite built by the Center for Space Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas, flown on the DMSP F16 satellite.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 07:22:50.958802; freshness should be verified

Geography

null