| DATA_SET_DESCRIPTION |
Data Set Overview : The Venus Express (VEX) Deep Space Network (DSN) Radio Science ENT data set is a collection of raw and partially processed data collected during the Extended Operations (ENT) phase of the VEX mission to Venus. It has been prepared following standards of the NASA Planetary Data System (PDS). These data were collected using the ground facilities of the NASA DSN and will be combined with other data from the European Space Agency (ESA) antenna at New Norcia (NNO), Australia, to become the formal Venus Express Radio Science (VeRa) Team archive within the ESA Planetary Science Archive (PSA). The VEX data collected using DSN facilities during the Extended Operations phase were from gravity, atmospheric drag, and radio occultation observations. The data set comprises several DVD+R (digital versatile disc recordable) volumes. The first volume contains raw and partially processed radio science data and ancillary files from 2008 and 2009. Subsequent volumes will contain data collected in 2010 and later years, in approximately chronological order. Parameters : DSN open-loop Radio Science Receivers (RSRs) down-converted a narrow part of the microwave spectrum near the spacecraft transmitting frequency. For the most comprehensive observations, four RSRs were used to capture X-RCP X-Band (3.6 cm wavelength) right circular polarization S-RCP S-Band (13 cm wavelength) right circular polarization X-LCP X-Band (3.6 cm wavelength) left circular polarization S-LCP X-Band (13 cm wavelength) left circular polarization The data were saved as time series of complex (16-bit I, 16-bit Q) integer samples of the receiver output voltages at (typically) 2000 samples per second (sps). Because of the S-Band degradation, which occurred in late 2006, the S-RCP RSR was often not used for gravity and drag observations. LCP could have been collected to support studies of depolarization by the solar plasma, but no SCO observations were scheduled after loss of the S-Band downlink. Processing of the RSR data was limited to diagnostic tests to ensure that the receivers and recording equipment were functioning correctly. Histograms of RSR samples were constructed, averaged power spectra were calculated, and time averages of sample values (approximating power in the sample stream) were computed. Each of these was plotted and the results can be found in BRO directories in each archive volume. The Tracking and Navigation File (TNF) is the primary output from the DSN closed-loop receiver system. These are large binary files, accumulating at the rate of several megabytes (MB) per hour of antenna operation. The files comprise nearly 20 block types, each designed to carry data of interest to a particular navigation, telecommunications, or science community. The blocks are described by TNF_SIS.TXT in the DOCUMENT directory. Fields include: Uplink and downlink antenna numbers Spacecraft number Equipment identifiers, status flags, and calibration values Time tags and frequency bands Transmitted and received phase and frequency Transmitted and received ranging information Noise levels, signal-to-noise ratios, and uncertainties For many applications the TNF is too cumbersome. The ODF is an edited and partially processed version of the TNF. It is a smaller binary file, often issued in 1-3 day increments of about 0.2 MB each. It contains the most important information (range and Doppler) needed by spacecraft navigators and investigators interested in determining gravitational fields of bodies such as Venus. Each ODF is accompanied by a full PDS label which describes both the content and format of the associated file. ODF data fields include: Narrowband spacecraft VLBI, Doppler mode (cycles) Narrowband spacecraft VLBI, phase mode (cycles) Narrowband quasar VLBI, Doppler mode (cycles) Narrowband quasar VLBI, phase mode (cycles) Wideband spacecraft VLBI (nanoseconds) Wideband quasar VLBI (nanoseconds) One-way Doppler (Hertz) Two-way Doppler (Hertz) Three-way Doppler (Hertz) One-way total count phase (cycles) Two-way total count phase (cycles) Three-way total count phase (cycles) PRA planetary operational discrete spectrum range (range units) SRA planetary operational discrete spectrum range (range units) RE(GSTDN) range (nanoseconds) Azimuth angle (degrees) Elevation angle (degrees) Hour angle (degrees) Declination angle (degrees) Processing : The open-loop raw data have been assembled from individual records (packets) into RSR files, which are saved in the archive without further processing, except for the diagnostic tests noted above, which lead to BRO files. The RSR data have been Fourier transformed and averaged to create BRO files of Postscript 'browse' (BRO) plots from which users can make quick judgments about data quality and suitability for further study. The plots show (1) histograms of sample values over a single file, (2) a sequence of (typically) 3-minute average power spectra, and (3) power in sample values averaged over one second and plotted versus time. There has been no processing (and no quick-look checking) of TNF or ODF data. Data : The raw (RSR and TNF), partially processed (BRO and ODF), and ancillary data are organized to fit chronologically onto a set of DVD+R volumes. All data from 2008 and 2009 fit onto the first ENT DVD+R volume; subsequent years will be organized onto later volumes. Each scheduled observation is documented by a file in the MFT (manifest) directory. The MFT file lists the date and time of the observation and all of the data files that should be associated with the observation. Ancillary data include the following types. Sources are shown parenthetically; 'SPICE' denotes kernels for use with the JPL Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) 'toolkit'. BCK spacecraft attitude (SPICE) BSP spacecraft and planetary ephemerides (SPICE) DKF DSN keyword file (DSN) ENB experimenters notebook (Stanford) EOP Earth orientation parameters (JPL) FRK frames kernel (SPICE) HEA VeRa investigation 'health' report (Stanford) ION ionosphere media calibration (DSN) LSK leap second kernel (SPICE) MFT file lists for specific experiments (Stanford) PCK planetary constants kernel (SPICE) SCK spacecraft clock conversion file (SPICE) TRO troposphere media calibration (DSN) WEA weather file (DSN) Note that some files will not be listed in any MFT because they were not associated with a scheduled radio science observation; for example, monthly spacecraft and planetary ephemerides -- BSP files -- may be included in the archive even though there was no radio science activity during the month. Each RSR, BRO, and TNF should appear in a single MFT; ODFs can appear in multiple MFTs, but only when a single ODF covers more than one radio science event (this would be unusual). The MFT directory includes a list of both primary and ancillary data files (see below) for each observation. Users should be able to locate all files by referring to CUMINDEX.TAB in the INDEX directory of the final volume of the data set. Primary Data ------------ Primary data are the measurements which come from the radio science 'instrument' or products derived directly from those measurements. For purposes of this discussion, the primary data types are RSR, BRO, ODF, and TNF. Radio Science Receiver Files (RSR Directory) -------------------------------------------- Each RSR generates a stream of packets which can be assembled into a file of arbitrary length. Files a little larger than 500 MB are the maximum that can be easily accommodated in the Stanford processing environment (32-bit machines on which the next step is conversion of complex integer samples to double precision complex). A typical ENT observation generates RSRs no larger than 100 MB; but the first radio occultation in 2008 was captured using 16000 sps (because of uncertainty about receiver tuning) and those RSRs have 316 MB. Each RSR file has a name of the form ydddhhMC.RSR where y is the one-digit year when the data began; ddd is the three-digit day of year when the data began; M is the one-digit ten-minute mark when the data began (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5); and C denotes the band, polarization, and file version as shown in the table below. The corresponding PDS label file has name ydddhhMC.LBL. C Code Meaning ------ ---------------- A X-RCP, version 1 B S-RCP, version 1 C X-LCP, version 1 D S-LCP, version 1 E X-RCP, version 2 F S-RCP, version 2 G X-LCP, version 2 H S-LCP, version 2 ... U X-RCP, version 6 V S-RCP, version 6 W X-LCP, version 6 X S-LCP, version 6 The one-digit year is '8' or '9' for 2008 or 2009, respectively. For 2010 the letter 'A' is used, for 2011 the letter 'B' is used, and the substitution continues until 'Z' is used for 2035. Browse Files (BRO Directory) ---------------------------- Browse files are composite PostScript files summarizing quick-look processing of RSR data. Each file has a name of the form ydddhhMC.PS1 where ydddhhMC is identical to the character string in the source RSR file. Each BRO file is accompanied by a detached PDS label with name ydddhhMC.LBL. Each PostScript file is sized to fit on a single 8-1/2x11 inch page. Each landscape format page includes four panels showing a histogram of raw data (12-bit) samples (upper left), three-minute average power spectra derived from the raw samples (upper right), one-second averages of raw sample power versus time (lower left), and an extract of the first few lines of the source RSR PDS label (lower right). BRO files may be helpful in quickly scanning data to determine which files are suitable for closer study. Typical BRO files have volumes 300 kB. Tracking and Navigation Files (TNF Directory) --------------------------------------------- TNFs become available within a few hours of the completion of a Venus Express pass and are downloaded to Stanford. TNFs are stored in the TNF directory with file names of the form ydddHssC.TNF where y is the one-digit year of the first data in the file, ddd is the three-digit day of year of the first data, H is a letter code for the hour of the first data (see table below), ss is the DSN antenna number, and C is a single letter (beginning with 'A') denoting the sequence in which files with the same ydddHss were received (ydddHssB.TNF should be a revision of ydddHssA.TNF; but revised TNFs have been extremely rare, and there may be none in this data set). The PDS label has file name ydddHssC.LBL. Typical TNFs have volumes 2-20 MB. H Code Start Hour ------ ---------- A 00 B 01 C 02 D 03 E 04 F 05 G 06 H 07 I 08 J 09 K 10 L 11 M 12 N 13 O 14 P 15 Q 16 R 17 S 18 T 19 U 20 V 21 W 22 X 23 Starting in 2010, the one-digit year is a letter, following the same convention as was used in naming RSRs (above). Orbit Data Files (ODF Directory) -------------------------------- ODFs are abstracts of TNFs, often with averaging to reduce the sampling rate (1 s is a common default), and with separate files for S- and X-Band data. Keyword ORIGINAL_PRODUCT_ID in the label file often includes a string like 'S_1S' or 'X_1S', which identifies both the band and the averaging interval. ODFs are stored in the ODF directory with file names of the form ydddeeeC.ODF where y is the one-digit year of the first data in the file, ddd is the day of year of the first data, eee is the day of year of the last data in the file, and C is a single letter (beginning with 'A') denoting the sequence in which files with the same ydddeee were received. Starting in 2010, the one-digit year is a letter, following the same convention as was used in naming RSRs (above). The corresponding label file has name ydddeeeC.LBL. Typical ODFs have sizes 150-200 kB. Ancillary Data -------------- An extensive set of ancillary files is needed for proper analysis and interpretation of the primary data. These are organized in parallel with the RSR, BRO, TNF, and ODF directories. Many ancillary files are obtained from the JPL Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) which has developed a software 'toolkit' for users. The toolkit and data files are known as the 'SPICE' system for describing observation geometry, time, and events. For more information on NAIF and SPICE see http://pds-naif.jpl.nasa.gov/ Binary Spacecraft Attitude Kernels (BCK Directory) -------------------------------------------------- Spacecraft attitude files (also known as C kernels or CK files) were produced by the VEX Flight Dynamics Team, then converted to IEEE binary format. C kernels represent the 'C' in SPICE, originally standing for 'camera.' BCK files have names of the form ydddzeee.BCK where y is the one-digit year of the first data in the file, ddd is the day-of-year of the first data in the file, z is the one-digit year of the last data in the file, and eee is the day-of-year of the last data in the file. The one-digit year ('y' and 'z') is represented by a letter for years starting in 2010, following the same convention as used in naming RSR files (above). Each BCK file is accompanied by a PDS label with file name ydddeeeC.LBL. Typical file sizes are a few MB. Binary Spacecraft/Planetary Ephemeris Files (BSP Directory) ----------------------------------------------------------- Spacecraft/planetary ephemeris files (also known as SP kernels or SPK files) were produced by the VEX Flight Dynamics Team, then converted to IEEE binary format. SP kernels represent the 'SP' in SPICE. BSP files have names of the form ydddeeeC.BSP where y is the one-digit year of the first data in the file, ddd is the day-of-year of the first data in the file, eee is the day-of-year of the last data in the file, and C is a character denoting the file sequence when more than one file with the same ydddeee is in the data set. For years starting in 2010, the one-digit year is represented by a letter, using the same convention as was used in naming RSR files (above). The eighth character in the file name C starts from 'A' and progresses to 'B', 'C', etc. with increasing numbers of files covering the same days. Most BSP files cover approximately one month and are reconstructed spacecraft trajectories merged with the JPL DE405 planetary ephemeris. Each BSP file is accompanied by a PDS label with file name ydddeeeC.LBL. Typical file sizes are a few MB. DSN Keyword File (DKF Directory) -------------------------------- DSN keyword files contain configuration instructions and commands executed by the DSN tracking station during its support of a Venus Express pass. They are ASCII files with variable length records. Each record is delimited by an ASCII carriage-return line-feed pair. File names have the form ydddeeeC.DKF where y is the one-digit year of the first data, ddd is the three-digit day of year of the first data, eee is the three-digit day of year of the last data, and C is a letter denoting sequence of the file when ydddeee is not unique. For years starting in 2010, the one-digit year is represented by a letter, using the same convention as is used in naming RSR files (above). The eighth character in the file name C starts with 'A' for the first file, 'B' for the second file, etc. Each DKF is accompanied by a PDS label with name ydddeeeC.LBL. DKFs for VEX typically covered a few days and had file sizes of a few kB. Some observations do not have DKFs. Experimenters Notebook Files (ENB Directory) -------------------------------------------- Experimenters Notebook files are e-mail messages and other notes collected during and shortly after data acquisition. They document expectations of various measurements and anomalies discovered in subsequent analysis. File names have the form ENBydddC.TXT, where y is the one-digit year, ddd is the three-digit day-of-year, and C is a letter denoting sequence of the file when yddd is not unique. For years starting in 2010, the one-digit year is represented by a letter, using the same convention as was used in naming RSR files (above). The eighth character in the file name C starts with 'A' for the first file, 'B' for the second file, etc. In general the messages in file ENBydddC.TXT refer to activities on that date regardless of when the message was sent. These are ASCII files with variable length records. Each record is delimited by an ASCII carriage-return line-feed pair. ENB files have attached labels. Earth Orientation Parameter Files (EOP Directory) --------------------------------------------------- Earth Orientation Parameter files were produced by the Time and Earth Motion Precision Observation (TEMPO) Group at JPL. They documented and predicted Earth rotation (rate and axis). These are ASCII files of variable length records. Each record is delimited by an ASCII line-feed (ASCII 10). File names have the form ydddzeee.EOP where y is the one-digit year of the first data in the file, ddd is the day-of-year of the first data in the file, z is the one-digit year of the last data, and eee is the day-of-year of the last data in the file. Starting in 2010, the one-digit year ('y' and 'z') is represented by a letter, using the same convention as was used in naming RSR files (above). There are both 'long' and 'short' EOPs. The long file covered past motion since about 1962 and a prediction for about three months into the future; these files have typical sizes of 1 MB. The short file covered the most recent nine months of past motion and a prediction for three months into the future; these files are typically 30 kB. Each EOP file is accompanied by a PDS label with file name ydddzeee.LBL. Frames Kernels (FRK Directory) ------------------------------ Frames kernels were produced by the JPL/PDS Navigation Ancillary Information Facility (NAIF) for use with NAIF-developed software. They specify coordinate frames defined for the VEX mission including the spacecraft and many instruments. These are ASCII files of variable length records. Each record is delimited by an ASCII carriage-return line-feed pair, which may need to be converted to either a carriage-return or line-feed alone before the file is used on the local machine. Two files are included in the archive; one is mission independent, but intended for use with ESA missions; the other is VEX-specific. Each is accompanied by a PDS label file. Daily Health Report Files (HEA Directory) --------------------------------------------------- Daily Health Report Files were created at Stanford; they summarize analyses performed on recently acquired open loop radio science data, summarize collection of closed loop data, and note any anomalies found. They were issued irregularly, usually when new data became available. HEA files are PDS TEXT objects; each has an attached PDS label. File names have the form HEAydddC.TXT where y is the one-digit year of the report, ddd is the three-digit day-of-year of the report, and C is a character denoting sequence when more than one report or version of the file was issued in a day. Starting in 2010, the one-digit year is represented by a letter, following the same convention as was used in naming RSR files (above). The first report on a day would be HEAydddA.TXT; subsequent versions would be HEAydddB.TXT, HEAydddC.TXT, etc. Occasionally HEA files are accompanied by plots, saved as Postscript files. File names for these plot files have names of the form HEAydddC.PSn where y and ddd are as defined above and n is the figure number. The PostScript files are accompanied by a detached PDS label with name HEAydddC.LBL. Both Health Reports themselves and accompanying PostScript files have variable length records delimited by carriage-return line-feed pairs. Ionosphere Calibration Files (ION Directory) --------------------------------------------------- Ionosphere Calibration files were produced by the Tracking System Analytic Calibration (TSAC) Group at JPL. They documented and predicted Earth ionospheric conditions. Global Ionosphere Map (GIM) software created daily maps from Global Positioning System (GPS) data. Each day, a final map was created for the UT day three days previously and a preliminary map was created for the UT day immediately before. Also created were predict maps a couple times a week by averaging recent 'normal' days. Then the software evaluated the maps at the spacecraft line-of-sight and fitted the results to a normalized polynomial versus time over each spacecraft pass. This was done for all three modes: final, preliminary, and predict. Then the software selected the best available calibration for each pass (in priority order final > preliminary > predict). An operator ran a plotting program to view all of the calibrations and overrode the default selections where desired. The mapping technique is described by [MANNUCCIETAL1998]. ION files are ASCII files of variable length records. Each record is delimited by an ASCII line-feed (ASCII 10). File names have the form ydddeeeC.ION where components of the name are the same as for BSP files. ION files were usually released at one week intervals to cover a single month; only final files covering a full month are included in this archive. Each ION file is accompanied by a PDS minimal label with file name ydddeeeC.LBL. Typical file sizes are approximately 60 kB. TSAC did not usually produce ION files for Venus Express. Instead, files created to support the Mars Express mission have been substituted where VEX files were not available. These can can be identified by ORIGINAL_PRODUCT_ID values starting with 'gimcal_41' in the PDS label. Manifest Files (MFT Directory) ------------------------------ For each scheduled radio science observation a file in the MFT directory lists all of the primary data files generated and all of the ancillary files that should be associated with the observation. File names are given for both the original (Stanford) archive and for the archive that will be created by the VeRa Team and submitted to the PSA. MFT files are ASCII text files, having variable length records delimited by ASCII carriage-return line-feed pairs; they have attached PDS labels. File names are of the form ydddHssC.MFT where y is the one-digit year of the observation, ddd is the three-digit day of year, H is a letter code giving the hour on which the observation began, ss is the DSN station number, and C is a letter indicating the sequence of the file in case there is more than one with ydddHss ('A' first, 'B' second, etc.). Starting in 2010, the one-digit year was represented by a letter, following the same convention as was used in naming RSR files (above). The meaning of the H code is given here: H Code Start Hour ------ ---------- A 00 B 01 C 02 D 03 E 04 F 05 G 06 H 07 I 08 J 09 K 10 L 11 M 12 N 13 O 14 P 15 Q 16 R 17 S 18 T 19 U 20 V 21 W 22 X 23 Planetary Constants Kernels (PCK Directory) ------------------------------------------- Planetary constants files were produced by JPL/NAIF for use with NAIF developed software. The Planetary Constants file included in this archive was issued for the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) project. The archive includes MGS files because those required no modifications to Stanford software, parts of which were being used simultaneously by other missions. PCK files are ASCII files of variable length records. Each record is delimited by an ASCII carriage-return (ASCII 13) line-feed pair (ASCII 10), which may need to be converted to either or before the file is used on the local machine. File names have the form TPCnnnnZ.PCK where nnnn is the sequence number in which the file was released and Z is a character denoting sub-sequence when there was more than one file with the same nnnn. Z starts from 'A' and progresses to 'B', 'C', etc. Planetary Constants files are accompanied by PDS label files having names TPCnnnnZ.LBL. Spacecraft Clock Kernels (SCK Directory) ---------------------------------------- Spacecraft clock conversion files were produced by JPL/NAIF for use with NAIF software. These are ASCII files of variable length records. Each record is delimited by an ASCII carriage-return (ASCII 13) line-feed pair (ASCII 10), which may need to be converted to either or before the file is used on the local machine. File names have the form TSCydddZ.SCK where y is the one-digit year in which the file was created, ddd is the day-of-year, and Z is a character denoting sub-sequence when there was more than one file with the same yddd. Starting in 2010, the one-digit year was represented by a letter, following the convention used in naming RSR files (above). Z starts from 'A' and progresses to 'B', 'C', etc. Each Spacecraft Clock Kernel is accompanied by PDS label file having name TSCnnnnZ.LBL. Troposphere Calibration Files (TRO Directory) --------------------------------------------- Troposphere Calibration files were produced by the Tracking System Analytic Calibration (TSAC) Group at JPL. They documented and predicted Earth tropospheric conditions based on measurements made using Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. These are ASCII files of variable length records. Each record is delimited by an ASCII line-feed (ASCII 10). File names have the form ydddeeeC.TRO where the file name components are the same as for BSP files (above). TRO files included in this archive typically covered one month and were released early in the following month; since no TRO files were created by TSAC for VEX, Mars Express files have been substituted. Each TRO file is accompanied by a PDS minimal label with file name ydddeeeC.LBL. Typical file sizes are 240 kB. DSN Weather Files (WEA Directory) --------------------------------- DSN Weather files were produced by the Tracking System Analytic Calibration (TSAC) Group at JPL. Files give meteorological conditions at a DSN complex in 30 minute time steps. These are ASCII files of variable length records. Each record is delimited by an ASCII line-feed (ASCII 10). File names have the form ydddeeeD.WEA where y is the one-digit year of the first data in the file, ddd is the day-of-year of the first data in the file, eee is the day-of-year of the last data in the file, and D is a single digit denoting the DSN complex at which the data were acquired ('1' for Goldstone, '4' for Canberra, or '6' for Madrid). Starting in 2010, the one-digit year was repesented by a letter, following the same convention as was used in naming RSR files (above). WEA files were typically released weekly and contain all weather data for the complex since 1 January. Each WEA file is accompanied by a PDS minimal label with file name ydddeeeC.LBL. The files grow at the rate of approximately 90 kB per month. Coordinate System : NAIF toolkit routines can be used to make coordinate transformations when SPICE files provide the ephemeris and attitude information. Otherwise, the data are not dependent on the definition of a coordinate system. Software : Software for parsing, reducing, and analyzing data such as these has been developed at Stanford University and elsewhere. Because such software must usually operate at the bit level and is written for a narrow range of platforms, it is not suitable for general distribution. No software is included with this archival data set. Media/Format : The archival data set was written on DVD+R media using a Dell computer running the Windows XP operating system, DiscJuggler application software, and a PlexTor PC-712A writer. The volumes conform to the 'UDF ISO 9660 Bridge' standard.
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