BARREL SSPC: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns

256 channels of slow time resolution X-ray spectra detected with a NaI scintillator, covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 10 MeV. The BARREL Mission, a NASA Living with a Star Mission of Opportunity, launched over 50 stratospheric balloons from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016 to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts. Its data provided the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation alongside comprehensive in situ measurements.

Use Cases

• Analyze relativistic electron precipitation patterns based on the 256-channel X-ray spectra.
• Study spatial and temporal variations of electron losses based on balloon constellation data collected across magnetic local time.
• Characterize the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies based on the multi-balloon campaign measurements.
• Correlate precipitation events with ULF-timescale magnetic field variations based on the co-located DC magnetometer data.

Strengths

• 256 spectral channels provide detailed energy resolution from 0 MeV to 10 MeV.
• Data collection spanned four campaigns from 2013 to 2016, involving over 50 balloon launches.
• The mission was designed to augment the Van Allen Probes mission, providing coordinated measurements.

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

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

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:25:55.934399; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Balloon launches from Halley Bay and SANAE IV base in Antarctica, and Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden.