BARREL 2A: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns, 32-Second Resolution

256 channels of slow time resolution (32 s) Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra detected with a NaI scintillator, covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 10 MeV. The data was collected by NASA's BARREL mission, which launched over 50 stratospheric balloons from Antarctica (2013-2014) and Sweden (2015-2016) to study electron losses from Earth's radiation belts. Observations were made at altitudes near 30 km to measure X-rays produced by precipitating relativistic electrons.

Use Cases

• Study spatial and temporal variations of electron precipitation from the radiation belts based on balloon-borne X-ray spectrometer data.
• Characterize the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies using multi-balloon campaign observations.
• Correlate balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation with in situ measurements of plasma waves and energetic particles from the Van Allen Probes.
• Analyze ULF-timescale magnetic field variations in coordination with X-ray spectra using the included DC magnetometer data.

Strengths

• Data covers four distinct balloon campaigns from 2013 to 2016, providing multi-year observational coverage.
• Over 50 stratospheric balloon launches were conducted, offering a spatially distributed dataset.
• Spectra are provided with 256 energy channels, suggesting detailed energy resolution within the 0-10 MeV range.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Balloon-borne X-ray spectrometer (SSPC) and DC magnetometer measurements collected at stratospheric altitudes (~30 km).

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03 13:36:15.539698; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Launch sites in Antarctica (Halley Bay, SANAE IV) and Sweden (Esrange Space Center, Kiruna).