BARREL 1I: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns, 32-Second Resolution

2013 to 2016 balloon campaigns from Antarctica and Sweden collected 256-channel X-ray spectra at 32-second resolution, covering energies from 0 MeV to 10 MeV. The BARREL mission, a NASA Living with a Star project, measured relativistic electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts using NaI scintillators on over 50 stratospheric balloons. Data was collected in coordination with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments.

Use Cases

• Modeling radiation belt electron losses based on bremsstrahlung X-ray measurements.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal scales of electron precipitation events from the multi-balloon array.
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray data with in-situ plasma wave and particle measurements from the Van Allen Probes.
• Studying Ultra Low Frequency (ULF) magnetic field variations using the concurrent DC magnetometer data mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data spans four campaigns from 2013 to 2016, providing multi-year temporal coverage.
• Spectra cover a nominal energy range from 0 MeV to 10 MeV across 256 channels.
• Over 50 balloon flights were launched, offering spatial measurements across magnetic local time.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in BIN, PDF, TEXT, and HTML formats, which may require specialized tools for processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

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

Time Range

2013-2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:22:23.386919; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Antarctica (Halley Bay, SANAE IV) and Kiruna, Sweden.