BARREL MAGN: Magnetic Field Data from Stratospheric Balloon Campaigns

Three-axis DC magnetometer data from the BARREL mission's stratospheric balloon campaigns. Over 50 balloons were launched from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016 to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. The data are collected by NASA and are not gain-corrected or despun.

Use Cases

• Analyze ULF-timescale magnetic field variations based on the DC magnetometer measurements.
• Study spatial and temporal patterns of electron precipitation based on balloon constellation data.
• Characterize spatial scales of relativistic electron precipitation based on BARREL campaign observations.
• Correlate balloon magnetic field data with satellite and ground-based instrument measurements mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• Data from over 50 stratospheric balloon launches across four campaigns.
• Coordinated measurements with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space instruments.
• Provides balloon-based magnetic field measurements at stratospheric altitudes (~30 km).

Limitations

• Data are neither gain corrected nor despun, which may require additional processing.
• 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 on BARREL stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:08:22.797880; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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