BARREL 2D Rate Counter Data: Electron Precipitation Measurements

Over 50 stratospheric balloons were launched across four campaigns from 2013 to 2016. The dataset contains 4-second accumulations of diagnostic rate count measurements from NaI scintillators, used to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts. Data was collected by the NASA BARREL mission, a Living with a Star Mission of Opportunity, from Antarctic and Arctic launch sites.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal variations of electron precipitation based on 4-second rate count accumulations
• Characterizing spatial scales of precipitation at relativistic energies based on balloon constellation measurements
• Correlating balloon X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes
• Studying ULF-timescale magnetic field variations using the DC magnetometer data mentioned in the description

Strengths

• Data spans four campaigns from 2013 to 2016, providing multi-year observations
• Over 50 balloon payloads launched, offering a spatially distributed measurement array
• Coordinated measurements with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space instruments

Limitations

• Rate count data have uncalibrated energy ranges and wrap near or above 16384 counts/s
• 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

Measurements from rate counters on BARREL balloon payloads carrying X-ray spectrometers and DC magnetometers

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:57:00.517158

Geography

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