Cluster Science Centre

Welcome to the Cluster Science Centre at Imperial College London

The Space and Atmospheric Physics group within the Physics Department at IC, together with its partners at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Queen Mary, University of London, are leading the UK's efforts in routine data handling for the Cluster mission via the UK Co-ordinated Data Handling Facility (CDHF) for Cluster. The CDHF is funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council  (STFC, formerly PPARC).

The CDHF is comprised of two main elements: a Cluster Data Centre (CDC), located at RAL which provides the CDHF Project Manager, and a Cluster Science Centre (CSC), located at IC which provides the CDHF Project Scientist.

The CDC is responsible for data archival and exchange within the international Cluster Science Data System, while the CSC is responsible for providing science tools to the UK Cluster community. In practice extensive collaboration and mutual support is provided.

The Imperial College role in the CDHF includes:

  • Scientific and technical input into routine science data products, including a major input into the design of the Cluster Science Data System (CSDS) run by ESA and involving National Data Centres in the US and across Europe. CSDS generates and distributes mission Summary Parameters (one minute averaged data from all instruments from a single spacecraft plus general mission data) and Prime Parameters (spin-resolution moments from all instruments on all four spacecraft).
  • Development of a Science Analysis System (QSAS) capable of ingesting and manipulating Cluster (and other) data at various resolutions with specific attention to forming multi-instrument and/or multi-spacecraft products and other analyses. QSAS facilitates the UK Cluster community's exploitation of Cluster via a flexible, user friendly interactive interface to the data and manipulation thereof.
  • Development of Software (QPEACE) in support of the PEACE instrument on Cluster
  • Development of software (Qtran) to translate between various data formats

Software and documentation are available from Cluster Science Centre - Services

Cluster Data and operations:

The CSC software and data format design work also has applicability to other Space Physics missions, notably:

  • ISTP (NASA led International Solar-Terrestrial Physics missions)
  • Double Star  (ESA, CNSA collaboration)
  • Themis  (NASA multi-spacecraft Magnetospheric Mission)

The Space and Atmospheric Group at Imperial College also provide the Fluxgate Magnetometer instrument on the Cluster Spacecraft.