GIOTTO NMS: Calibrated Ion Density Profiles from Halley Flyby

Derived, calibrated density profiles from the NMS ION and NEUTRAL sensors flown on the GIOTTO spacecraft. The data was obtained during the comet Halley fly-by on 13 March 1986 and corrects issues found in a previous version. The dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Use Cases

• Model comet ionosphere density based on calibrated sensor readings.
• Analyze solar wind interaction with a comet based on ion and neutral density profiles.
• Validate and improve comet flyby mission sensor data calibration methods.
• Study temporal changes in comet Halley's atmosphere during the 1986 encounter.

Strengths

• Data is calibrated and derived from a specific mission event on 13 March 1986.
• Corrects issues found in a previous version (GIO-C-NMS-4-86P-V1.0).
• Provided by the authoritative organization 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.
• Last updated 2026-03-13 04:11:18.864613; freshness should be verified.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data gathered by NMS ION and NEUTRAL sensors on the GIOTTO spacecraft during a fly-by.

Time Range

13 March 1986