Pioneer 11 Geiger Tube Telescope: 24-Hour Averaged Particle Count Rates

NASA's Pioneer 11 spacecraft collected this data via the University of Iowa's Geiger Tube Telescope experiment. The dataset contains 24-hour-averaged count rates for 8 sensors and multi-sensor coincidence modes, measuring fluxes of electrons and protons across specific energy ranges. Data were corrected for RTG and temperature effects, converted to ASCII in 2010, and are accessible as a single 9-MB file.

Use Cases

• Modeling the radiation environment in the outer solar system based on directional and omnidirectional particle flux measurements.
• Analyzing temporal variations in high-energy electron and proton populations based on 24-hour-averaged count rates.
• Studying sensor coincidence events and their statistical significance based on the provided multi-sensor mode rates.
• Validating space weather and heliospheric models using corrected particle data from a deep-space mission.

Strengths

• Data are corrected for RTG (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator) and temperature effects, which likely improves accuracy.
• Includes statistical uncertainty values for each count rate, aiding in error analysis.
• Covers multiple energy ranges for electrons (0.04-21 MeV and >21 MeV) and protons (0.61-80 MeV and >80 MeV).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download or from the referenced document.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific analyses.
• Data format originally was VMS-binary; the ASCII conversion may have legacy formatting nuances.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), via the University of Iowa Geiger Tube Telescope experiment.

Collection Method

Collected by the Geiger Tube Telescope (GTT) instrument flown on the Pioneer 11 spacecraft.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 07:48:55.619441; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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