VEGA2 MISCHA: Original Spacecraft Instrument Data for Comet Halley

Original Vega 2 MISCHA instrument data delivered to the Planetary Data System. The data were provided by Magda Delva of the MISCHA instrument team and are preserved in both ASCII and original IBM/PC binary formats. This dataset was created for 'safing' these data, with the instrument failing just prior to closest approach to comet Halley.

Use Cases

• Analyze instrument performance and stability based on the description of unstable offsets after 21 Feb 1986
• Study pre-encounter conditions for comet Halley based on data collected prior to closest approach
• Compare data preservation formats based on the availability of both ASCII and original binary files
• Assess data quality concerns for historical space missions as noted in the description

Strengths

• Data is preserved in its original IBM/PC binary format as delivered to PDS
• Includes a secondary ASCII format version for accessibility
• Provenance is clearly stated, originating from the MISCHA instrument team lead

Limitations

• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download
• Significant data quality concerns exist, with instrument offsets described as highly unstable after 21 Feb 1986
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Original data delivery from the MISCHA instrument team to the Planetary Data System (PDS).

Time Range

Includes data up to just prior to closest approach to comet Halley in 1986.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:46:32.685156; freshness should be verified

Geography

Data collected by the Vega 2 spacecraft during its mission to comet Halley.