MAVEN SWIA: Calibrated Solar Wind Ion Distributions at Mars

MAVEN Solar Wind Ion Analyzer (SWIA) data provides calibrated 3D ion distributions in units of differential energy flux. The data originates from NASA's MAVEN spacecraft orbiting Mars and is derived from the SWIA Coarse distribution Archive telemetry. Each file includes a header with ancillary information needed for interpretation.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind interaction with the Martian magnetosphere based on calibrated ion flux data.
• Analyzing time-ordered ion distribution functions to study space weather events at Mars.
• Validating instrument performance and calibration methods against the referenced SWIA instrument publication.

Strengths

• Data is fully calibrated, providing reliable differential energy flux units.
• Includes ancillary header information necessary for correct data interpretation.
• Instrument methodology is documented in a peer-reviewed publication (doi:10.1007/s11214-013-0029-z).

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

Derived from the SWIA Coarse distribution Archive telemetry from the MAVEN spacecraft.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:34:43.481073; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Mars orbit