BARREL 1M Ephemeris: Balloon GPS and Magnetic Coordinates for Radiation Belt Studies

Over 50 stratospheric balloons were launched across four campaigns from Antarctica and Sweden to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. The dataset provides 4-second interval geographic coordinates from onboard GPS and derived magnetic coordinates using the IRBEM library. It was collected by NASA's BARREL mission between 2013 and 2016 to augment the Van Allen Probes mission.

Use Cases

• Modeling spatial scales of relativistic electron precipitation based on balloon array measurements.
• Correlating stratospheric X-ray measurements with in-situ satellite data based on coordinated campaign timing.
• Studying magnetic local time variations in precipitation based on the balloon constellation's MLT spread.
• Validating magnetic coordinate transformation models based on the use of the IRBEM library.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four dedicated campaigns.
• Coordinates are recorded at a high temporal resolution of once every 4 seconds.
• Campaigns were coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments like EISCAT.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• File formats include BIN and PDF, which may require specialized tools for access and interpretation.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Coordinates obtained from onboard GPS units on stratospheric balloons, with magnetic coordinates derived using the IRBEM FORTRAN library.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 14:09:06.232297; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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