MMS 1: Magnetospheric Spacecraft Position and Magnetic Field Data at 30-Second Resolution

Magnetospheric Multiscale 1 (MMS 1) spacecraft data includes position, velocity, attitude, and magnetic ephemeris calculated using the Tsyganenko 1989 model for quiet conditions. The Level-2 science data product, provided by NASA, contains variables such as magnetic field measurements, footpoint locations, L-shell, magnetic local time, and activity indices like Dst and Kp. Data is recorded at a 30-second time resolution.

Use Cases

• Modeling magnetospheric field lines and footpoint locations based on the Tsyganenko 1989 model.
• Analyzing spacecraft trajectory and orientation using provided position, velocity, and rotational quaternions.
• Correlating space weather conditions with magnetic field measurements using included Dst and Kp activity indices.
• Studying particle loss cone dynamics using the calculated northern and southern hemisphere loss cone angles.

Strengths

• Data is calculated using a specific, documented magnetic field model (Tsyganenko 1989 for quiet conditions).
• Includes multiple derived geophysical variables such as L-shell, magnetic local time, and loss cone angles.
• Provides coordinate transformation quaternions for 6 different coordinate systems.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is stored in a BIN format, which may require specialized tools for access.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the MMS 1 spacecraft and processed into Level-2 science data.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:30:43.660754; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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