00readme.txt for IMP8 directory


  This directory gathers ftp-accessible data from NASA's IMP 8
spacecraft, except for some CDF-formatted data which are ftp-accessible
from the cdaweb machine.  NSSDC actually makes IMP 8 data available
through ftp, CDAWeb, OMNIWeb, etc., and various IMP Principal
Investigators alsomake selected IMP 8 data accessible from their web
sites. See the IMP 8 Project's Web page at
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/space/imp-8.html/ for an overview.

  The IMP data available from this directory include 15-s and
1-min magnetometer data, 2-min solar wind plasma data from Los Alamos,
20-s particle flux data from the two JHU/APL experiments (which data set
has magnetometer and MIT plasma data added in), and 11-min particle data
from U. Maryland.  

  In addition, the directory also has the following data sets: 15-min
particle count rates from U. Chicago, LEPEDEA distribution functions and
moments from U. Iowa, both hourly solar wind data and 12-s magnetotail-
mode data from Los Alamos, and 1-min solar wind plasma data from MIT.

This directory contains the file that used to be the IMP Holdings File
for NDADS.  It is called former_ndads.txt herein and gives a nice overview
of the former NDADS data sets.  The dataset-specific subdirectories of
this IMP 8 directory tree each has a descriptive readme text file.

  The Chicago, Iowa, MIT, hourly and 2-min Los Alamos and 15-s GSFC
magnetometer data have graphical preview and subsetting functionalities
provided by "FTPBrowser" at http://ftpbrowser.gsfc.nasa.gov/.

  IMP 8 was launched in 1973 into a near circular geocentric orbit with
a ~35 Re distance and 12.5 day orbit.  It carried several energetic particle
experiments, a few plasma experiments and a magnetometer.  Most
instruments have lasted through October, 2001, although the magnetometer
failed June 10, 2000. 
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Related data and directories:
SPDF Data and Orbits Services <http://spdf.gsfc.nasa.gov/>
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SPDF Contact: Natalia Papitashvili <Natalia.E.Papitashvili.1@nasa.gov>,
 
Please acknowledge NASA's  Space Physics Data Facility for data usage.

Authorizing NASA Official: Dr. R.E. McGuire, Head, SPDF, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
                        301-286-7794, e-mail:  Robert.E.McGuire@nasa.gov
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