MSL RAD: Mars Radiation Assessment Detector Calibrated Data

NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission provides calibrated radiation data from the Martian surface. The Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) instrument collected this data, which has been processed from raw EDR measurements. This data set is hosted on Data.gov and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling the Martian radiation environment based on calibrated detector readings.
• Assessing radiation exposure risks for future human missions based on RAD instrument data.
• Calibrating other space-based radiation sensors using the processed RDR data format.

Strengths

• Data originates from NASA, a leading space agency.
• Data is calibrated, suggesting a processed and quality-checked product.
• Last update timestamp (2026-03-13) is provided.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) instrument on the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:40:26.529362; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Mars