LANL1997 MPA: Magnetospheric Plasma Parameters at 87-Second Resolution

The LANL 1997-97A Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer (MPA) data set contains plasma parameters at approximately 87-second resolution. It includes universal time, density, velocity, and temperature for low and high energy ions and electrons, along with position and instrument status. The data is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling magnetospheric plasma dynamics based on ion and electron density and velocity measurements.
• Analyzing correlations between high and low energy particle temperatures and spacecraft position.
• Studying temporal variations in the geosynchronous environment using universal time and instrument status flags.

Strengths

• Data includes measurements for both ions and electrons across low and high energy ranges.
• Parameters are provided in multiple coordinate systems (GEI, spacecraft, polar geographic, polar magnetic).
• Temporal resolution is specified as approximately 87 seconds.

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.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the LANL 1997-97A Magnetospheric Plasma Analyzer (MPA) instrument.

Time Range

1997 (inferred from mission name).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:05:40.498161; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Geosynchronous orbit (inferred from platform tags).