MMS FPI: Magnetospheric Plasma Distribution Moments at 30 ms Resolution

NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission provides high-resolution plasma measurements from the Fast Plasma Investigation instrument. The dataset contains integrated moments of phase space distributions from the Dual Electron Spectrometer, with data available in Burst (30 ms), Fast Survey, and Slow Survey modes. It includes timestamps and instrument state annotations, last updated on March 13, 2026.

Use Cases

• Analyzing plasma density and temperature fluctuations based on integrated distribution moments.
• Studying magnetospheric boundary crossings based on high-time-resolution burst mode data.
• Correlating plasma parameters with other mission instruments based on included timestamps and instrument state data.
• Investigating electron behavior in Earth's radiation belts based on the operational modes described.

Strengths

• Data from NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, an authoritative source for space physics.
• Includes high-time-resolution Burst mode data at 30 ms intervals.
• Contains instrument state annotations to aid data interpretation.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Fast Plasma Investigation instrument on the Magnetospheric Multiscale spacecraft.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 09:05:58.195252; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Magnetospheric regions of interest and surrounding space.