LANL1991 MPA: Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer Data at 87-Second Resolution

NASA's LANL 1991-080 satellite data provides measurements of the Earth's magnetospheric plasma. The dataset includes universal time, density, velocity, and temperature for low and high energy ions and electrons, along with position and instrument status, at approximately 87-second resolution. Data is provided in multiple coordinate systems including GEI, spacecraft, polar geographic, and polar magnetic coordinates.

Use Cases

• Modeling magnetospheric plasma dynamics based on density and velocity measurements.
• Analyzing energetic particle populations based on ion and electron temperature data.
• Correlating spacecraft position with plasma parameters based on the provided coordinate systems.
• Monitoring instrument health and data quality based on the included status flags.

Strengths

• Data is provided in multiple coordinate systems (GEI, spacecraft, polar geographic, polar magnetic).
• Includes parameters for both low and high energy ions and electrons.
• Time resolution is specified as 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.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the LANL 1991-080 satellite's Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer (MPA) instrument.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:07:01.490417; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Geosynchronous orbit