Ulysses Cosmic Ray and Solar Particle Investigation (COSPIN) High Energy Telescope (HET) F

Daily files contain readout-by-readout listings of counts accumulated in 18 spin-averaged counting rates (H10-H27) from the Ulysses spacecraft's High Energy Telescope. The data includes heavy ion counts in four energy ranges (26-36, 44-127, 127-173, and >173 MeV/n) and single detector health counts, with each line representing a readout interval averaging 128 seconds. The dataset is provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling the flux and energy spectra of heavy nuclei (Z>2) in interplanetary space based on the H10-H13 coincidence counting rates.
• Analyzing temporal variations in cosmic ray intensity at high time resolution (128-second averages) based on the fractional year timestamps.
• Assessing the health and calibration of individual particle detectors (D1-D13, K1-K6, S) using the H14-H27 single detector rates.
• Studying the modulation of energetic particles by the solar cycle using long-term, spin-averaged measurements.

Strengths

• Provides high-resolution (128-second average) spin-averaged measurements, minimizing spacecraft rotation effects.
• Includes data for four distinct heavy ion energy ranges (26-36, 44-127, 127 173, and >173 MeV/n) via the H10-H13 coincidence rates.
• Timestamps are provided with high precision (fractional year to 12 decimal places) and in integer formats for year, day, and millisecond.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics and the exact format must be inferred from embedded documentation in each daily file.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale statistical analysis.
• The single detector counting rates (H14-H27) are described as being of little scientific use, intended primarily for health assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by the COSPIN High Energy Telescope (HET) instrument aboard the Ulysses spacecraft, processed into daily files with spin-averaged counting rates.

Time Range

Data files are named with a year since 1900 (e.g., 090 for 1990) and day of year, indicating coverage likely spanning the Ulysses mission lifetime.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 05:39:38.623138; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Interplanetary space, covering heliocentric distances and latitudes explored by the Ulysses solar polar orbit.