Explorer 35: Lunar Orbiter Magnetic Field Measurements

81.92-second averages of the magnetic field magnitude and components from the Goddard Space Flight Center magnetometer on the lunar-orbiting Explorer 35 spacecraft. The data includes spacecraft position vectors in multiple coordinate systems, field variability metrics, and quality flags, and is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in annual ASCII files. The dataset was last updated on the platform in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling the lunar magnetic environment based on field magnitude and component averages.
• Analyzing spacecraft position and orientation based on GSE, GSM, and SSE coordinate vectors.
• Assessing data quality and variability based on included standard deviations and quality flags.
• Studying solar wind interactions with the Moon based on time-series magnetic field data.

Strengths

• Data includes 81.92-second averages derived from 5.12-second values, providing a consistent temporal resolution.
• Contains magnetic field measurements in multiple coordinate systems (GSE, GSM, SSE) and spacecraft position vectors.
• Includes derived parameters such as standard deviations, spin rate, and quality flags for data assessment.

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

Measurements from the GSFC magnetometer on the Explorer 35 spacecraft.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 07:37:36.800454; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Lunar orbit