BARREL: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns

BARREL 1S X-ray Spectrometer data provides four channels of fast time resolution (50 ms) Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra from 0 MeV to 1.5 MeV. The dataset was collected by NASA's BARREL mission, which launched over 50 stratospheric balloons from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016 to study electron precipitation from Earth's Radiation Belts. Observations were made near the Antarctic and Arctic circles at altitudes of about 30 km.

Use Cases

• Study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts based on bremsstrahlung X-ray measurements.
• Characterize the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies based on balloon array observations.
• Analyze temporal variations of electron precipitation using the 50 ms fast time resolution data.
• Coordinate multi-instrument studies by correlating balloon data with Van Allen Probes and ground-based radar measurements.

Strengths

• Provides four distinct spectral channels (FSPC1, FSPC2, FSPC3, FSPC4) for analysis.
• Offers fast time resolution of 50 milliseconds for detailed temporal studies.
• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four campaigns spanning 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 carried on stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:10:29.268192; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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