BARREL 2X Ephemeris: Balloon Geographic and Magnetic Coordinates

BARREL was a NASA mission launching over 50 stratospheric balloons to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. This Level 2 dataset provides 4-second ephemeris data, including geographic coordinates from onboard GPS and derived magnetic coordinates using the IRBEM library. Campaigns were conducted from Antarctica in 2013-2014 and Sweden in 2015-2016, coordinated with the Van Allen Probes mission.

Use Cases

• Analyzing relativistic electron precipitation patterns based on balloon-borne X-ray spectrometer and magnetometer measurements
• Mapping spatial scales of precipitation events based on the constellation of balloons spread across magnetic local time
• Correlating balloon observations with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes mission
• Studying ULF-timescale magnetic field variations based on DC magnetometer data

Strengths

• Data is derived from over 50 balloon launches across four campaigns, providing a substantial observational record
• Coordinates are provided at a high temporal resolution of 4 seconds
• Geographic coordinates are sourced from onboard GPS, and magnetic coordinates are derived using the established IRBEM FORTRAN library

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

Data collected from onboard GPS and magnetometers on stratospheric balloons, with magnetic coordinates derived computationally.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:39:58.513386; freshness should be verified

Geography

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