NASA - NSSDC - Data Collection - Details
Description: NSSDC Master Catalog
Keywords: NASA, NSSDC, NSSDC Master Catalog, NMC, spacecraft, experiments, datasets, data collections, personnel, space events, lunar maps, planetary maps, new data, updated data, lunar events, planetary events, historical events

- Friday, 13 June 2014

# Multi-Experiment Data

NSSDC ID: SPIO-00048

Availability: At NSSDC, Ready for Offline Distribution (or Staging if Digital)

Time span: 1971-12-01 to 1973-12-09

## Description

This collection consists of data generated by four of the instruments on Ariel 4: the Langmuir probe, radio noise, VLF-ELF propagation, and low-energy protons and electrons (LEPEDEA) instruments. The data are binary and were originally written to magnetic tape on an ICL 1900 computer. Both low-speed (play-back of the on-board tape recorder) and high-speed (real-time recordings over the telemetry station) data are included. Approximately 90% of the originally archived data was high-speed.

Two types of files are present. The first is a file which contains information about the data as it existed on tape, including tape generation information, the number of files on the tape, and the year, day, and hour of the data in the first and last data files from that original tape. The second is a data file.

Each data file contains a sub-file header with time and satellite position information. The header is followed by time units which are four or two records long depending on whether the tape contains high-speed or low-speed data, respectively. The first record of each time unit contains universal and local solar times and ephemeris information. The next record (low speed tape) or the next three records (high-speed tape) contain the investigation data. All of the data from the four experiments are combined in one record. The final portion of each data file consists of two "Crib" (investigator's terminology) data records, containing low-speed investigation data, numerous error flags, and time.

## Alternate Names

- Langmuir Probe Merged Data
- VLF/ELF Propagation Merged Data
- MHZ Band Radio Noise (E-F) Merged Data
- Low-Energy Charged Particle Data
- Particle Count Rates

## Archive

- National Space Science Data Center

## Disciplines

- Astronomy: Radio
- Space Physics: Ionospheric Studies
- Space Physics: Magnetospheric Studies

## Old NSSDC IDs

- 71-109A-01A
- 71-109A-02A
- 71-109A-03A
- 71-109A-04A

## Additional Information

### Spacecraft

- Ariel 4

### Experiments

- Ariel 4: Langmuir Probe
- Ariel 4: MHz Band Noise (E Field)
- Ariel 4: VLF-ELF Receiver
- Ariel 4: Low-Energy Proton and Electron Differential Energy Analyzer (LEPEDEA)

##

Questions or comments about this data collection can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office.

## Personnel

Name | Role | Original Affiliation | E-mail
--- | --- | --- | ---
Mr. J. E. Foster | Data Provider | Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |

## Selected References

Dunford, E., et al., Ariel 4 data processing: The master tape format and data index, Unpublished, Unnumbered, Undated.

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- Version 4.0.25, 16 August 2013