BARREL 1V: Tri-axial Magnetometer Data from Balloon Campaigns, 0.25 s

Over 50 stratospheric balloon flights were launched across four campaigns from 2013 to 2016 in Antarctica and Sweden. The dataset contains three-axis DC magnetometer measurements at 0.25-second resolution, collected by NASA's BARREL mission to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. Data are provided with nominal conversions applied but are not gain-corrected or despun.

Use Cases

• Analyze ULF-timescale magnetic field variations based on the tri-axial fluxgate magnetometer data.
• Study spatial and temporal scales of relativistic electron precipitation based on coordinated balloon constellation measurements.
• Correlate balloon-based magnetic field data with in-situ satellite measurements from missions like the Van Allen Probes.
• Characterize the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies based on the balloon array data.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four major campaigns.
• Provides high-resolution (0.25 s) tri-axial magnetic field measurements.
• Campaigns were coordinated with multiple satellite missions and ground-based instruments.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by DC magnetometers carried on small stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13:42:37.346003; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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