Mars 2020 Radar Imager for Mars Subsurface Experiment (RIMFAX)
Mars 2020 (Perseverance) Rover Mission
Planetary Data System (PDS) Archive Bundle

Overview
========

This bundle contains the following collections.

  data_raw: Raw (EDR) science data and metadata products

  data_hk: Raw (EDR) housekeeping data products

  data_calibrated: Calibrated (CDR/RDR) data products

  document: Descriptions of the RIMFAX data products and the archive bundle organization

  browse_radargram: Browse images for calibrated data products
  
Data Products and PDS Labels
============================

Every RIMFAX data product is accompanied by a PDS label in a file with the same name
as the data file, but with the extension ".xml", as PDS labels are written in XML 
(Extended Markup Language). The labels may be viewed in a text editor or web browser, 
preferably one that applies special formatting to XML files to make them more readable. 
The labels may also be read by software that can interpret XML. 

                                          Product type 
                                          (EDR file name 
Directory         Data product            characters 20-22)  File name extension
---------         ------------            -----------------  -------------------
data_raw          raw science data        EDR                .dat
                  raw metadata            EDM                .csv
                                          
data_hk           housekeeping            EHK                .csv
                  metadata housekeeping   EHM                .csv
                                          
data_calibrated   calibrated science data RDR                .csv
                                          
browse_radargram  images of derived data  n/a                .png

Binary data tables (.dat) may be read by software that interprets PDS labels. The 
PDS4 Viewer is one such program (http://sbndev.astro.umd.edu/wiki/PDS4_Viewer). 

Comma-separated-value tables (.csv) are text files that may be read using the PDS4 
Viewer, or any text editor, or a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel.

Browse image files (.png) are Portable Network Graphic images that may be viewed
in most web browsers and commonly available image display programs. 

Documentation
=============
       
The RIMFAX Bundle Software Interface Specification in the document collection 
describes the contents, format, and structure of the bundle. Users unfamiliar 
with PDS archives are advised to read this document first.

The RIMFAX EDR Software Interface Specification in the document collection 
describes the raw data products generated by the RIMFAX instrument, including 
how they are processed and labeled, the format of the data products and their labels, 
and applicable standards.

The RIMFAX CDR Software Interface Specification in the document collection 
describes the calibrated data and browse products. 

The RIMFAX Calibrated Data Catalog in the document collection contains selected
information about each calibrated data product. The Catalog is in the form of 
a CSV table with columns headings in the first row, followed by one row for 
each data product.

Terminology Note
================

In general Mars 2020 archives employ the abbreviation RDR for Reduced Data Record,
referring to data products at any level of processing beyond the raw data. The
term CDR for Calibrated Data Record refers specifically to one category of RDRs,
that is, data products that have been calibrated. Definitions of processing levels
are found in Table 2 of the RIMFAX Bundle Software Interface Specification.

==============
This bundle was created and archived by the Geosciences Node of the Planetary 
Data System. Questions about this bundle may be directed to 
geosci@wunder.wustl.edu.

Last updated 2021-07-29.