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

Medium time resolution X-ray spectra from the BARREL balloon mission, designed to study electron losses from Earth's radiation belts. The data includes 48 energy channels covering 0 MeV to 4 MeV, collected at 4-second intervals from over 50 stratospheric balloon flights. NASA conducted campaigns from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016 in coordination with the Van Allen Probes mission.

Use Cases

• Modeling radiation belt electron loss processes based on bremsstrahlung X-ray measurements.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal scales of electron precipitation based on multi-balloon constellation data.
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray observations with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes.
• Studying magnetospheric ULF wave activity using the co-located DC magnetometer data mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four campaigns, providing a multi-year observational record.
• Spectra cover a nominal energy range from 0 MeV to 4 MeV across 48 channels.
• Campaigns were coordinated with comprehensive in-situ measurements from the Van Allen Probes mission.

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 14:13:39.099048; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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