BARREL 2O: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns for Radiation Belt Studies

BARREL 2O X-ray Spectrometer (MSPC) Level 2 data provides 4-second resolution Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra from 48 energy channels (0 MeV to 4 MeV). The dataset was produced by NASA's BARREL mission, which launched over 50 stratospheric balloons from Antarctica (2013-2014) and Sweden (2015-2016) to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. Observations were coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments.

Use Cases

• Modeling radiation belt electron loss processes based on measured Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal scales of relativistic electron precipitation based on balloon array observations.
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes.
• Studying the relationship between magnetic field variations and electron precipitation using concurrent magnetometer data.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four campaigns, providing multiple observational windows.
• Spectra cover a nominal energy range from 0 MeV to 4 MeV across 48 channels.
• Observations were coordinated with comprehensive in-situ measurements from the Van Allen Probes mission.

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 NaI Scintillator X-ray spectrometers carried on stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:01:42.981767; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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