BARREL 1B: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns

The BARREL mission conducted balloon campaigns in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, launching over 50 stratospheric balloons from Antarctica and Sweden. It was a NASA Living with a Star Mission of Opportunity designed to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts. The dataset provides 256-channel, 32-second resolution Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra detected with a NaI scintillator, covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 10 MeV.

Use Cases

• Analyze electron precipitation events based on Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra
• Study spatial and temporal variations of electron losses based on balloon constellation data
• Characterize the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies based on the first balloon measurements of such events
• Correlate precipitation data with in-situ plasma wave and energetic particle measurements from the Van Allen Probes

Strengths

• Provides the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation
• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four campaigns
• Spectra cover a nominal energy range from 0 MeV to 10 MeV

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by X-ray spectrometers and DC magnetometers carried on stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in January-February 2013 and 2014 (Antarctica), and August 2015 and 2016 (Sweden).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:29:21.616996; freshness should be verified

Geography

Balloon launches from Halley Bay, Antarctica and SANAE IV base, Antarctica (2013-2014), and Esrange Space Center, Kiruna, Sweden (2015-2016).