BARREL Balloon X-ray Spectrometer Data for Radiation Belt Studies

January-February 2013 and 2014 data from the BARREL mission's balloon campaigns in Antarctica, measuring bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra to study relativistic electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. The dataset contains 256-channel spectra with a 32-second time resolution, combined into a single SSPC variable covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 10 MeV. This NASA Living with a Star mission provided coordinated measurements to augment the Van Allen Probes.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the SSPC variable to study the intensity and temporal variation of relativistic electron precipitation.
• Correlating X-ray flux measurements with in-situ Van Allen Probes data to investigate loss mechanisms from the radiation belts.
• Characterizing the spatial scale of electron precipitation events using data from the array of approximately five balloon payloads.
• Investigating the relationship between magnetic field variations (ULF-timescale) and X-ray spectral data from co-located instruments.

Strengths

• Provides the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation coordinated with comprehensive in-situ satellite measurements.
• Covers a specific energy range of 0 MeV to 10 MeV across 256 spectral channels.
• Data collected from stratospheric altitudes (~30 km) near the Antarctic circle during dedicated campaigns.

Limitations

• Critical metadata conflicts: one source lists a last update date of 2026-03-13, while another lists 2018-05 21, creating uncertainty about data currency.
• Column names and precise row counts are unknown across all provided platform descriptions.
• The absorption measurements from the SOAP instrument description (ATom-4 campaign) are noted as valid only in strongly absorbing cases, indicating conditional usability for that subset.

Provenance

Source

NASA BARREL (Balloon Array for Radiation Belt Relativistic Electron Losses) mission, a Living with a Star Mission of Opportunity.

Collection Method

Measurements from X-ray spectrometers (NaI Scintillators) and DC magnetometers carried on multiple balloons.

Time Range

2013-01 to 2014-02 (Austral summer campaigns).

Freshness

2026-03-13 13:19:31.141948

Geography

Antarctica (Halley Bay and SANAE IV base), at stratospheric altitudes.