BARREL 2F Rate Counter: 4-Second Accumulations of Uncalibrated X-Ray Counts

Antarctic and Arctic stratospheric balloon campaigns from 2013 to 2016 collected this data. The BARREL mission, a NASA Living with a Star project, measured relativistic electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts using X-ray spectrometers. Over 50 small balloons were launched, providing diagnostic rate counter data in 4-second accumulations.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal variations in electron precipitation based on 4-second rate count accumulations
• Characterizing the spatial scale of relativistic electron precipitation based on multi-balloon array measurements
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes
• Studying magnetic local time (MLT) dependencies of precipitation events based on the balloon constellation design

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 stratospheric balloon flights across four campaigns
• Measurements coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space instruments
• Provides first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation alongside comprehensive in-situ data

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Rate count data are diagnostic, have uncalibrated energy ranges, and may wrap near or above 16384 counts/s
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from rate counters on BARREL mission balloons carrying X-ray spectrometers and DC magnetometers.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:16:56.183126; freshness should be verified

Geography

Balloon launches from Halley Bay and SANAE IV in Antarctica (2013-2014) and Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden (2015-2016).