BARREL 1V: Fast Time Resolution Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns

Four campaigns from 2013 to 2016 collected over 50 stratospheric balloon flights. The BARREL mission, a NASA Living with a Star Mission of Opportunity, measured Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra with 50 ms time resolution to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. Data was collected from Antarctic and Arctic launch sites, coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal patterns of electron precipitation based on 50 ms time resolution X-ray spectra
• Characterize spatial scales of relativistic energy precipitation based on balloon constellation data
• Correlate balloon X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from Van Allen Probes
• Study magnetic local time variations in precipitation based on balloon array spread across six hours MLT

Strengths

• Provides fast time resolution data with 50 ms sampling
• Includes four separate spectral channels (FSPC1-FSPC4) covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 1.5 MeV
• Data collection spans four campaigns from 2013 to 2016 with over 50 balloon flights
• Coordinated measurements with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space instruments

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 launched from Antarctic and Arctic sites.

Time Range

2013 to 2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 04:05:41.388839; freshness should be verified

Geography

Balloon flights launched from Halley Bay (Antarctica), SANAE IV (Antarctica), and Esrange Space Center (Kiruna, Sweden), operating at stratospheric altitudes (~30 km).