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

BARREL was a NASA Living with a Star mission designed to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts. Over 50 stratospheric balloons were launched from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016, carrying X-ray spectrometers to measure bremsstrahlung radiation. The dataset provides 48 channels of medium time resolution (4 s) spectra covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 4 MeV.

Use Cases

• Study electron precipitation spatial scales based on balloon constellation measurements.
• Analyze relativistic electron losses from radiation belts based on bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra.
• Correlate precipitation events with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes.
• Model ULF-timescale magnetic field variations based on DC magnetometer data mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data was collected in coordination with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments.
• Provides the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation during comprehensive in-situ measurements.
• Over 50 balloon flights were conducted across four campaigns from 2013 to 2016.

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 04:17:41.943840; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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