ROSETTA-ORBITER RPCICA: Solar Wind Ion Measurements at Comet 67P

Resampled calibrated data from the RPCICA instrument on the Rosetta mission's third extension, containing measurements of solar wind interaction with the atmosphere of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The dataset is separated into four physical mass ranges corresponding to H+, He++, He+, and heavier ions (mass 1, 2, 4, 16 amu and above). It was published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling solar wind interaction with a cometary atmosphere based on ion mass range data.
• Analyzing the composition of ions near comet 67P based on the four specified mass ranges.
• Studying the dynamics of H+, He++, He+, and heavier ions in a cometary environment.

Strengths

• Data is resampled and calibrated, suggesting a processed, analysis-ready state.
• Focuses on a specific, scientifically significant event: solar wind interaction with comet 67P's atmosphere.
• Separates measurements into four distinct ion mass ranges (1, 2, 4, 16+ amu) for targeted 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 modeling.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from the RPCICA instrument aboard the Rosetta orbiter.

Time Range

Covers the Rosetta mission's third extension period.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 06:46:27.229476; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Measurements taken in the vicinity of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.