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

Over 50 stratospheric balloon flights were launched across four campaigns from 2013 to 2016 in Antarctica and Sweden. The data consists of 4-second accumulations of rate counter measurements from NaI scintillators, designed to study relativistic electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. This Level 2 diagnostic product was created by NASA as part of the BARREL mission, which augmented the Van Allen Probes.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal variations in electron precipitation based on 4-second count accumulations.
• Characterizing the spatial scale of relativistic energy precipitation based on multi-balloon array data.
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes.
• Studying ultra-low frequency magnetic field variations using coordinated magnetometer data mentioned in the mission description.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four dedicated campaigns from 2013 to 2016.
• Measurements were coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments like EISCAT radar.
• Provides the first balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation alongside comprehensive in-situ data.

Limitations

• Rate count values are uncalibrated and may wrap near or above 16384 counts per second.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from rate counters on small stratospheric balloons launched from Antarctica and Sweden.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 12:38:30.706361; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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