LANL 1989 MPA: Magnetospheric Plasma Measurements at 87-Second Resolution

NASA's LANL 1989-046 Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer (MPA) data provides ion and electron density, velocity, and temperature measurements. The dataset includes parameters in multiple coordinate systems, such as GEI and spacecraft coordinates, at approximately 87-second intervals. It was last updated on the platform in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling magnetospheric plasma dynamics based on ion and electron density and velocity measurements.
• Analyzing space weather events using time-series data of particle temperatures.
• Correlating spacecraft position with plasma parameters using the provided coordinate systems.
• Studying instrument performance and data quality using the included status flags.

Strengths

• Data is provided in multiple coordinate systems (GEI, spacecraft, polar geographic, polar magnetic), facilitating different analytical perspectives.
• Parameters include universal time, density, velocity, and temperature for both low and high energy ions and electrons.
• Measurements are taken at a consistent high temporal resolution of approximately 87 seconds.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale modeling.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

Collection Method

Collected by the LANL 1989-046 satellite's Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer (MPA) instrument.

Time Range

Coverage from the LANL 1989 mission, specific years not stated.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13 06:38:48.052870; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Spatial coverage is the magnetosphere, specifically at geosynchronous orbit.