BARREL SSPC: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns

Antarctic and Arctic stratospheric balloon campaigns collected 256-channel X-ray spectra from precipitating electrons. The BARREL mission, a NASA Living with a Star project, launched over 50 balloons from Halley Bay, SANAE IV, and Kiruna between 2013 and 2016. Data provides slow time resolution (32 s) measurements of bremsstrahlung X-rays in the 0-10 MeV energy range.

Use Cases

• Model electron loss from Earth's radiation belts based on X-ray spectra.
• Characterize spatial scales of relativistic electron precipitation based on balloon array measurements.
• Correlate precipitation events with in-situ plasma wave and particle data.
• Study ULF-timescale magnetic field variations using the co-located DC magnetometer data.

Strengths

• 256 spectral channels provide detailed energy resolution from 0 MeV to 10 MeV.
• Data collected from over 50 balloon launches across four campaigns (2013-2016).
• Coordinated measurements with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space instruments.

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 specialized formats (BIN, PDF, TEXT, HTML) requiring specific tools for analysis.

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 January-February 2013, 2014, and August 2015, 2016.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:20:34.393517; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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