BARREL 1K: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Stratospheric Balloons

BARREL was a NASA balloon mission studying electron losses from Earth's radiation belts. Over 50 stratospheric balloons launched between 2013 and 2016 from Antarctica and Sweden, carrying X-ray spectrometers to measure bremsstrahlung radiation. The dataset provides 48-channel, 4-second resolution spectra from NaI scintillators, covering energies from 0 MeV to 4 MeV.

Use Cases

• Analyzing relativistic electron precipitation events based on 48-channel X-ray spectra.
• Studying spatial and temporal scales of electron precipitation based on balloon constellation data.
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes.
• Characterizing magnetic field variations at ULF timescales based on co-located DC magnetometer data.
• Modeling radiation belt electron losses based on stratospheric balloon observations from Antarctic and Arctic latitudes.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four campaigns (2013-2016).
• Spectra have a medium time resolution of 4 seconds across 48 energy channels.
• Campaigns were coordinated 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 may reflect geographic bias inherent to launches from specific Antarctic and Swedish stations.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured with 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 04:19:10.197877; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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