SAMPEX Level 0 Data Documentation
(Reformatted Master Data Files)
These files contain SAMPEX Level 0 mission data for one 24-hour period. They include the science data from the HILT, LICA, MAST and PET instruments, engineering data, housekeeping data, and spacecraft position data.
The files are in the architecture-independent eXternal Data Representation (XDR) format. Information about use of the XDR format within the IDL data analysis environment can be found HERE.
An example IDL program for reading SAMPEX XDR files is available here.
XDR File Lineage
The data contained in the XDR files are an exact copy of the data contained in SAMPEX NGDF files, which are VAX-VMS-formatted files, documented in the SAMPEX New Goddard Data File (NGDF) Description.
NGDF files are derived from the original SAMPEX MDF files, documented in the SAMPEX Master Data File Description.
XDR files, NGDF files, MDF files - they all contain the same data. Only the XDR-format files are made available publicly, since the NGDF and MDF files are not architecture-independent.