DMSP SSIES: Thermal Plasma Data from Multiple Spacecraft
Updated 3mo ago
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Description
Thermal plasma data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) Special Sensor Ions, Electrons, and Scintillation (SSIES) instruments. The dataset includes 4-second resolution measurements of ion velocity components (Vx, Vy, Vz), ion and electron temperatures (Ti, Te), and ion composition fractions for Hydrogen, Helium, and Oxygen. It is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.
Use Cases
Modeling ionospheric plasma dynamics based on 4-second resolution velocity and temperature data.
Analyzing ion composition variations in the upper atmosphere based on H, He, and O fractions.
Studying space weather impacts on satellite operations based on multi-instrument thermal plasma measurements.
Validating physics-based simulations of the magnetosphere-ionosphere system based on multi-spacecraft observations.
Strengths
Data is sourced from multiple Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft.
Provides 4-second temporal resolution for high-frequency plasma dynamics.
Includes measurements from three instrument types: drift meter, retarding potential analyzer, and Langmuir probe.
Limitations
Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
Row count and file size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
Source
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Collection Method
Collected by Special Sensor Ions, Electrons, and Scintillation (SSIES) instruments on DMSP satellites.
Time Range
null
Freshness
Last updated 2026-03-13 07:23:21.281613; freshness should be verified.
Geography
null
License is listed as 'other-license-specified'; specific terms must be reviewed before use.