BARREL 2A: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Stratospheric Balloons, 0.05 s Resolution

Over 50 stratospheric balloons were launched across four campaigns from Antarctica and Sweden to study electron precipitation. The dataset provides six channels of fast time resolution (50 ms) X-ray spectra, covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 1.5 MeV. It was collected by NASA's BARREL mission, a Living with a Star project designed to augment the Van Allen Probes mission.

Use Cases

• Studying spatial and temporal variations of electron precipitation based on multi-channel X-ray spectra.
• Characterizing the spatial scale of relativistic electron precipitation based on balloon array measurements.
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes.
• Analyzing ULF-timescale magnetic field variations in conjunction with X-ray spectrometry data.

Strengths

• Provides six channels of data with a fast 50 ms time resolution.
• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four campaigns spanning 2013 to 2016.
• Mission was coordinated with the Van Allen Probes and other ground-based instruments like EISCAT radar.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data files are in formats like PDF, HTML, TEXT, and BIN, which may require specialized tools for processing.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by X-ray spectrometers and DC magnetometers carried on small stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-10 04:38:16.859086; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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