MMS FPI: Magnetospheric Plasma Distributions at 4.5-Second Resolution

Phase space distribution maps of ion and electron plasma from the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission's Fast Plasma Investigation instrument. The data represent aggregated high-resolution observations reported at a 4.5-second cadence, with timestamps and instrument state annotations. The dataset is produced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling magnetospheric plasma behavior based on aggregated high-resolution particle observations.
• Analyzing instrument performance and data quality based on the included state annotation metadata.
• Studying temporal evolution of particle distributions in space based on the 4.5-second time-series data.

Strengths

• Data originates from the NASA MMS mission, a dedicated space physics observatory.
• Provides corrected and converted 'Fast Survey Sky Map' distributions noted as the highest possible quality at release.
• Includes timestamps and instrument state annotations for each 4.5-second period.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Fast Plasma Investigation (FPI) Dual Ion Spectrometer (DIS) instrument onboard the MMS spacecraft.

Time Range

Covers periods when the MMS operates in Fast Survey Mode within its Region Of Interest.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:23:10.822721; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Magnetospheric regions covered by the MMS mission's orbital path.