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Polar Sun-Earth Connection Mission Data Archive at NASA/GSFC
Entry ID: NASA_POLAR

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Summary

Abstract: The Polar spacecraft was launched on February 24, 1996, to obtain data from
both high- and low-altitude perspectives of this active region of geospace.
High above the poles the particles of the solar wind and the energy of the wind
can find their way into the magnetosphere. At lesser altitudes energy is
transferred from electric fields and electromagnetic waves to electrons that
then plunge into the atmosphere to create the aurora. At mid-altitudes nearer
the equator the satellite passes through the Earth's trapped radiation, the Van
Allen belts. Out of the polar ionosphere flows plasma to populate the
magnetosphere. Through this region particles and energy flow from the
geomagnetic tail to the atmosphere. Thus the instruments on the Polar
satellites see a lot of action in the various plasma parameters that they
measure.

Three of the twelve scientific instruments aboard the Polar satellite are used
to image the aurora in various wavelengths when the satellite is near apogee,
high over the northern polar region. The other nine instruments make
measurements in-situ, at the location of the satellite, around the entire
orbit. They measure the fluxes of charged particles, electrons and protons, as
well as heavier ions, from thermal energies into MeV energies. They measure
magnetic and electric fields, plus electromagnetic waves. They must make these
measurements in great detail in order for scientists to be able to learn new
things about the environment in the region over the poles of the Earth.

See:
http://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/polar/data_products.shtml
for a list of key parameters measured by the Polar mission.

Polar data for each instrument is available on ftp in compressed and
uncompressed form: ftp://pwgdata.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/00readme.html

Processed science data is available from the NSSDC through the Space Physics
Data Availability Catalog (SPDAC)
http://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/SPD.html

ISTP Key Parameter data is available from the CDAWeb at NSSDC and CDAWeb
mirror sites:
http://cdaweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Data is also available from individual instrument teams through links
from the Polar Data Products page:
http://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/polar/data_products.shtml

Related URL

Link: GET DATA
Description: Access to Polar Data Products and documentation

Link: GET DATA
Description: FTP access to all compressed and uncompressed Polar archives for each
instrument

Link: GET DATA
Description: UV Imager aurora images and movies

Link: GET DATA
Description: Visible Imager aurora images

Link: GET DATA
Description: X-Ray aurora images

Link: GET DATA
Description: Access to Polar data on the CDA Web at NSSDC

Link: VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE
Description: Polar project home page

Data Set Citation

Dataset Originator/Creator: Polar Science Team
Dataset Title: Polar Data Products
Dataset Release Date: February 1996
Dataset Release Place: Greenbelt, MD
Dataset Publisher: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Online Resource: http://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/polar/data_products.shtml

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1996-02-24

Location Keywords

SPACE > EARTH MAGNETIC FIELD > HIGH LATITUDE MAGNETOSPHERE
SPACE > EARTH MAGNETIC FIELD > INNER MAGNETOSPHERE
SPACE > EARTH MAGNETIC FIELD > MAGNETOSPHERE (OTHER)
SPACE > EARTH MAGNETIC FIELD > MAGNETOTAIL
VERTICAL LOCATION > IONOSPHERE
SPACE > EARTH MAGNETIC FIELD > VAN ALLEN RADIATION BELTS

ISO Topic Category

GEOSCIENTIFIC INFORMATION

Platform

POLAR >POLAR [Information]

Instrument

HYDRA >Hot Plasma Analyzer    [Information]

VIS >Visible Imaging System (Polar)    [Information]

UVI >UltraViolet Imager (Polar)    [Information]

SEPS >Source Loss-Cone Energetic Particle Spectrometer    [Information]

PWI-P >Plasma Waves Investigation (Polar)    [Information]

MFE-P >Magnetic Fields Experiment (Polar)    [Information]

TIMAS >Toroidal Imaging Mass-Angle Spectrograph    [Information]

TIDE >Thermal Ion Dynamics Experiment    [Information]

PIXIE >Polar Ionospheric X-Ray Imaging Experiment    [Information]

POLAR-EFI >Polar Electric Fields Instrument    [Information]

CEPPAD >Comprehensive Energetic Particle Pitch Angle Distribution    [Information]

CAMMICE >Charge And Mass Ion Composition Experiment    [Information]

Project

ISTP >International Solar Terrestrial Physics Program [Information]

Keywords

solar wind

plasma wind

electric field

magnetic field

aurora

charged particles

Data Set Progress

IN WORK

Originating Center

NASA/GSFC

Data Center

National Space Science Data Center, Space Science Data Operation Office, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA [Information]
Data Center URL: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Data Center Personnel

Name: NSSDC USER SUPPORT OFFICE
Email: nssdc-request at lists.nasa.gov
Contact Address:
National Space Science Data Center
NSSDC/Code 633.4
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
City: Greenbelt
Province or State: MD
Postal Code: 20771
Country: USA

Polar, Wind, Geotail Project, Geospace Physics Lab, Laboratory for Solar and Space Physics, Heliophysics Science Division, Science and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA [Information]
Data Center URL: http://pwg.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Data Center Personnel

Name: JOHN SIGWARTH
Email: john.b.sigwarth at nasa.gov
Contact Address:
NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center
Mailstop 670.0
City: Greenbelt
Province or State: MD
Postal Code: 20771
Country: USA

Space Physics Data Facility, Heliospheric Physics Lab, Heliospheric Science Division, Science and Exploration Directorate, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA [Information]
Data Center URL: http://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/

Data Center Personnel

Name: ROBERT MCGUIRE
Phone: 301-286-7794
Email: robert.e.mcguire at nasa.gov
Contact Address:
NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center
Mailstop 672.0
City: Greenbelt
Province or State: MD
Postal Code: 20771
Country: USA

Distribution

Distribution_Media: online ftp, www
Fees: none

Creation and Review Dates

SERF Creation Date: 2007-08-21
SERF Last Revision Date: 2011-07-20

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