VEX Venus Magnetometer (MAG)

ODE: Venus

Mission: Venus Express (VEX)

Instrument: MAG

PSA Archives: PSA Archive

Search VEX MAG data in Venus ODE:Product Search • Map Search

The Venus magnetometer (MAG) was part of the Venus Express payload. This instrument consisted of two tri-axial fluxgate magnetometers. The nominal 500 earth days (2 Venus years) orbiting Venus Express mission led to a detailed understanding of the interaction between Venus' atmosphere and the solar wind. In addition it provided the magnetic field data for any combined field, particle and wave studies such as lightning and planetary ion pickup processes, map with high time resolution the magnetic properties in the magnetosheath, magnetic barrier, the ionosphere, and the magnetotail and identified the plasma boundaries between the various plasma regions.

The VEX magnetometer MAG measured the 3D magnetic field in the frequency bandwidth from DC to 128 Hz. It consisted of two triaxial fluxgate sensors (MAGOS and MAGIS). The dual sensor configuration was chosen for a better monitoring of the stray magnetic fields produced from other S/C units. The electronics box comprised two sensor electronics boards, the DPU board and the DC/DC converter. MAGOS was mounted to the tip of a deployable boom whereas the inboard sensor (MAGIS) would be directly attached to the +Z panel of the spacecraft.

Well-known statistical methods, using time series of solar wind measurements, were used to determine the offset field at the magnetic field sensors (including instrument offset and S/C DC field). Since major parts of the orbits around Venus are in the solar wind, these data can be used for statistical offset determination. If an offset (caused by DC field disturbance) was detected too high, it was reduced by using the 12-bit compensation DACs. The maximum possible compensation field was +/-10,000 nT along each of the all together 6 sensor axes. A front to end health check was possible by command which generates artificial fields using the 12-bit compensation DACs (Calibration Modes 2-4). Boom deployment at the beginning of the cruise phase was essential for a proper MAG in-flight calibration.

 

More information about the VEX MAG can be found in:

MAG Products

Type

Description

Data Set ID

Raw

Raw Data Record (EDR) - Raw, synchronized sensor data in nano Tesla, CODMAC level 2

More information:

• MAG raw data set volumes

• Raw product in Planetary Science Archive Interface Control Document (EAICD)

WARNING:

Due to the variability of the spacecraft field in the RAW sensor data, these data should be used with caution and in collaboration with the MAG-team.

VEX-V-Y-MAG-2-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-2-EXT1-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-2-EXT2-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-2-EXT3-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-2-EXT4-V1.0

Calibrated

Calibrated Data Record (RDR) - Space magnetic field data, in physical units, CODMAC level 3

More information:

• MAG calibrated data set volumes

• Calibrated product in Planetary Science Archive Interface Control Document (EAICD)

VEX-V-Y-MAG-3-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-3-EXT1-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-3-EXT2-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-3-EXT3-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-3-EXT4-V1.0

Resampled Calibrated

Resampled Calibrated Data Record (REFDR) - Averaged space magnetic field data, in physical units, CODMAC level 4

More information:

• MAG resampled calibrated data set volumes

• Resampled calibrated product in Planetary Science Archive Interface Control Document (EAICD)

VEX-V-Y-MAG-4-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-4-EXT1-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-4-EXT2-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-4-EXT3-V1.0

VEX-V-Y-MAG-4-EXT4-V1.0

IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • In-flight data products of 1 Hz data-resolution i.e. "Solar wind mode" data provide nearly full data-coverage for all times of the spacecraft in orbit around Venus. All data intervals of higher data rate are down-sampled with the same methods as onboard (see section § 2.2.4 in VENUS EXPRESS MAGNETOMETER To Planetary Science Archive Interface Control Document (VE-MAG-EAICD)) and merged into the 1 Hz data set, to enable a full coverage with equidistant samples in time.

    So 1 Hz data are available for the whole mission duration (after Venus orbit insertion, 12 April 2006) and nearly without data-gaps, since MAG is ON in principle at ALL times.

  • CODMAC LEVEL 2 data, i.e. RAW SENSOR DATA, are available in the archive on a regular basis for the data rates 1Hz, 32 Hz and 128 Hz.

  • CODMAC 3 and CODMAC 4 data-levels are processed from the 1 Hz raw data-set and therefore include the downsampled and calibrated higher data rates.

    A single calibration of the higher data rate 32Hz is only possible on request for specific users and for specific dates.