BARREL SSPC: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Antarctic and Arctic Balloon Campaigns

Antarctic and Arctic stratospheric balloon campaigns collected 256-channel Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra with a 32-second time resolution. The BARREL mission, a NASA Living with a Star project, launched over 50 balloons from Halley Bay, SANAE IV, and Kiruna between 2013 and 2016 to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. Data was collected to coordinate with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments.

Use Cases

• Modeling electron loss from radiation belts based on Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra
• Analyzing spatial scales of precipitation at relativistic energies based on balloon array measurements
• Correlating precipitation events with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes mission
• Studying ULF-timescale magnetic field variations using the DC magnetometer data mentioned in the description

Strengths

• 256 energy channels covering a nominal range from 0 MeV to 10 MeV
• Data collected from over 50 balloon launches across four campaigns spanning 2013 to 2016
• Coordinated measurements with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments

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 BIN, PDF, TEXT, and HTML formats, 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 stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in January-February 2013, 2014, and August 2015, 2016.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:49:29.589718; freshness should be verified

Geography

Balloon launches from Halley Bay (Antarctica), SANAE IV (Antarctica), and Kiruna, Sweden.