BARREL 2L Rate Counter: Electron Precipitation Diagnostics from Antarctic Balloons

BARREL 2L Rate Counter data consists of 4-second accumulations of diagnostic rate counts from NaI scintillator instruments on stratospheric balloons. The BARREL mission, a NASA Living with a Star Mission of Opportunity, launched over 50 balloons from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016 to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts. The data provides measurements of relativistic electron precipitation, coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission.

Use Cases

• Analyze electron precipitation rates based on 4-second count accumulations
• Study spatial and temporal variations of radiation belt losses based on balloon array measurements
• Characterize the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies based on diagnostic fields
• Correlate balloon-based X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data

Strengths

• Data spans four balloon campaigns from 2013 to 2016, providing multi-year coverage
• Over 50 stratospheric balloons were launched, offering a substantial observational array
• Coordinated with comprehensive in-situ measurements from the Van Allen Probes mission

Limitations

• Rate count data have uncalibrated energy ranges and may 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

2013 to 2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:47:25.906354; freshness should be verified

Geography

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