BARREL 1O: Tri-axial Magnetometer Data for Radiation Belt Studies

The BARREL mission conducted balloon campaigns in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 from Antarctica and Sweden. It collected three-axis DC magnetometer data at stratospheric altitudes to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. The data are provided by NASA with nominal conversions applied but are not gain corrected or despun.

Use Cases

• Analyzing ULF-timescale magnetic field variations based on tri-axial fluxgate magnetometer measurements
• Studying spatial and temporal variations of electron precipitation based on coordinated balloon and satellite observations
• Characterizing the spatial scale of relativistic electron precipitation based on multi-balloon array data

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 stratospheric balloon launches across four campaigns
• Coordinated measurements with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space instruments
• Provides first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation alongside comprehensive in-situ plasma wave and particle data

Limitations

• Data are neither gain corrected nor despun, requiring additional processing for some analyses
• 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 DC magnetometers carried on stratospheric balloons launched from Antarctic and Swedish stations.

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in January-February 2013 and 2014, and August 2015 and 2016.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:15:26.098394; freshness should be verified

Geography

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