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

Tri-axial DC magnetometer data from the BARREL balloon mission, designed to study electron losses from Earth's radiation belts. The data are not gain-corrected or despun, with measurements taken at 0.25-second intervals. Over 50 stratospheric balloons were launched across campaigns from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016, coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission.

Use Cases

• Analyzing ULF-timescale magnetic field variations based on tri-axial fluxgate magnetometer measurements.
• Studying spatial and temporal scales of relativistic electron precipitation in coordination with satellite and ground-based data.
• Characterizing the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies based on balloon-borne magnetometer observations.
• Correlating magnetic field data with X-ray spectrometer measurements from the same balloon payloads.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four campaigns, providing multiple observational windows.
• Measurements taken at stratospheric altitudes (~30 km) near polar regions, offering a unique vantage point.
• Coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space-based instruments for multi-point analysis.

Limitations

• Data are not gain-corrected or despun, which may require additional processing for certain analyses.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and exact data volume are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from tri-axial DC magnetometers carried on small stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13:53:03.384459; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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