MMS 3: Magnetospheric Multiscale Spacecraft Position and Magnetic Coordinates

Magnetospheric Multiscale 3 (MMS 3) spacecraft Level-2 science data provides position, velocity, attitude, and magnetic ephemeris at a 30-second time resolution. The data is produced by NASA using the Tsyganenko 1989 magnetic field model for disturbed conditions. It includes magnetic field measurements, footpoint tracing, L-shell, magnetic local time, and ancillary variables like Dst and Kp indices.

Use Cases

• Modeling disturbed magnetospheric magnetic field lines based on the Tsyganenko 1989 model.
• Analyzing spacecraft trajectory and orientation in various coordinate systems based on provided quaternions.
• Correlating satellite measurements with geomagnetic activity using included Dst and Kp indices.
• Studying particle precipitation regions based on calculated loss cone angles and footpoint magnetic field strength.

Strengths

• Data is derived from a specific, well-known magnetospheric model (Tsyganenko 1989) for disturbed conditions.
• Includes a wide array of calculated variables such as footpoints, loss cone angles, L-shell, and multiple coordinate system transformations.
• Ancillary geomagnetic activity indices (Dst, Kp) are provided for contextual analysis.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Calculated from spacecraft measurements using the Tsyganenko 1989 magnetic field model.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:14:52.050414; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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