BARREL 2E MSPC: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Stratospheric Balloons

BARREL 2E MSPC provides medium time resolution (4 s) Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra from 48 channels covering 0 MeV to 4 MeV. The data was collected by NASA's BARREL mission, which launched over 50 stratospheric balloons from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016. It was designed to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts in coordination with the Van Allen Probes mission.

Use Cases

• Study electron precipitation from radiation belts based on bremsstrahlung X-ray measurements
• Characterize spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies based on balloon array observations
• Correlate precipitation events with in-situ plasma wave and particle data based on mission coordination
• Analyze ULF-timescale magnetic field variations based on concurrent DC magnetometer measurements

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 stratospheric balloon flights across four campaigns
• Provides the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation alongside comprehensive in-situ data
• 48-channel spectrometer covers a nominal energy range from 0 MeV to 4 MeV

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 and DC magnetometers carried on stratospheric balloons

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:55:44.930140; freshness should be verified

Geography

Launches from Halley Bay (Antarctica), SANAE IV base (Antarctica), and Esrange Space Center (Kiruna, Sweden)