BARREL 1H Rate Counter (RCNT) NaI Scintillator Diagnostics, Level 2, 4 s Data

BARREL 1H Rate Counter (RCNT) NaI Scintillator Diagnostics, Level 2, 4 s Data consists of uncalibrated rate count measurements from the BARREL (Balloon Array for Radiation Belt Relativistic Electron Losses) mission. The BARREL mission was a NASA Living with a Star Mission of Opportunity involving over 50 stratospheric balloon launches from Antarctica (2013-2014) and Sweden (2015-2016) to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. Data are stored as 4-second accumulations of counts.

Use Cases

• Analyze relativistic electron precipitation events based on rate count diagnostics.
• Study spatial and temporal variations in electron losses based on balloon array measurements.
• Correlate balloon-based X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave data from the Van Allen Probes.
• Characterize the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies based on the balloon constellation data.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 stratospheric balloon launches across four campaigns.
• Measurements were coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments.
• Provides the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation alongside comprehensive in-situ measurements.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Rate count data have uncalibrated energy ranges and wrap near or above 16384 counts/s.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from rate counters on BARREL balloon payloads, stored as 4-second accumulations.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 14:17:05.915968; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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