STEREO-A PLASTIC: Solar Wind Ion Composition Beacon Data

Unvalidated beacon data from the STEREO-A spacecraft's PLASTIC instrument, measuring plasma and supra-thermal ion composition in the solar wind. The data is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was last updated on March 13, 2026. The dataset is flagged as not suitable for publication purposes.

Use Cases

• Monitor real-time solar wind conditions based on plasma and ion composition measurements.
• Prototype space weather forecasting models based on supra-thermal ion data.
• Conduct preliminary studies on solar wind variability using unvalidated beacon data.
• Correlate ion composition changes with solar events based on the described data source.

Strengths

• Data originates from the NASA STEREO-A mission, a dedicated solar observation spacecraft.
• The dataset was last updated on March 13, 2026, indicating recent maintenance.

Limitations

• The data is explicitly described as unvalidated and not for publication, limiting its use to non-conclusive analysis.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Collected by the PLASTIC instrument aboard the STEREO-A spacecraft.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:45:56.298338; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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