SET HASDM Database available to the research community as the new density benchmark

Abstract:

For the first time we present the longest time series yet obtained of global atmosphere density variations that have been collected through operational observations. The information is available through a SQL database built by SET for HASDM data that has been collected for over two solar cycles (20 years). The High Accuracy Satellite Drag Model (HASDM) (Storz et al., 2005) was developed by the U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) (now called the U.S. Space Force) between 2000–2005. It is a data assimilative modeling system with continuously derived densities from 80–100 calibration satellites to achieve, at most epochs, <5% density uncertainty at altitudes less than 500 km and <10% uncertainty for all altitudes less than 800 km. Under authority from US AFSPC, SET has extracted two solar cycles of HASDM data for scientific use and archived it in the SET HASDM Database. The global density SQL database from 2000–2019 has 3-h time resolution and 25-km altitude steps over the 200–800 km altitude range on a 10° x 15° latitude/longitude grid. There is no comparable dataset in existence today. Because of its accuracy, time resolution, global scale, and contiguous quality, these HASDM densities are suitable for consideration as the new space weather benchmark for atmospheric expansion against which space weather events are measured. This new benchmark would be the extension of the Phase 1 Benchmark that was released by the National Science and Technology Council in 2018 for upper atmospheric expansion. The SET HASDM database benchmark resides in a SQL database with free and open community access for scientific studies. It is also useful to the owners and operators of space systems and assets that contribute to critical national functions. We present an overview of the access to and data within the SET HASDM Database.