A long-term data set of globally averaged thermospheric total mass density

We present a long-term data set, available on the CEDAR Data System, of globally averaged thermospheric total mass density derived from the orbits of similar to 5000 objects. The data cover the years 1967-2007 at heights from 200 to 600 km. The data have a temporal resolution of 3-6 days, a typical short-term precision of +/- 2%, and a long-term accuracy of 5-10%. We describe in detail the procedure used to generate the data set, provide an example of its scientific use, and discuss its limitations.