BARREL 1U Rate Counter: Balloon-Based Radiation Belt Electron Precipitation Measurements

BARREL 1U Rate Counter data provides 4-second accumulations of uncalibrated X-ray count rates from balloon-borne NaI scintillators. The BARREL mission, a NASA Living with a Star project, launched over 50 stratospheric balloons from Antarctica (2013-2014) and Sweden (2015-2016) to study relativistic electron losses from Earth's radiation belts. Measurements were coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments.

Use Cases

• Correlating electron precipitation timing with in-situ plasma wave measurements based on the mission's coordination with Van Allen Probes.
• Analyzing spatial scales of relativistic electron precipitation based on the constellation of balloon measurements spread across magnetic local time.
• Studying the relationship between magnetic field variations and X-ray counts using the concurrent DC magnetometer data mentioned in the description.
• Validating models of bremsstrahlung X-ray production from precipitating electrons colliding with atmospheric neutrals.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four campaigns (2013-2016), providing multiple observational periods.
• Measurements were coordinated with comprehensive in-situ measurements from the Van Allen Probes mission.
• Provides the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation alongside simultaneous in-situ data.

Limitations

• Rate count values are uncalibrated and may wrap near or above 16384 counts/s, requiring careful data handling.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale statistical analysis.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from rate counters on stratospheric balloons carrying X-ray spectrometers and DC magnetometers.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:45:41.512579; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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