BARREL MSPC: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns

48 channels of medium time resolution, 4 s, Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra detected with a NaI Scintillator, covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 4 MeV. The BARREL Mission was a NASA Living with a Star Mission of Opportunity, launching over 50 stratospheric balloons from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016 to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts. The data was collected to augment the Van Allen Probes mission and characterize the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies.

Use Cases

• Study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts based on Bremsstrahlung X-ray measurements
• Characterize the spatial scale of relativistic electron precipitation based on balloon constellation data
• Correlate precipitation events with plasma wave and energetic particle data from the Van Allen Probes mission
• Analyze temporal variations of electron precipitation based on 4-second time resolution spectra

Strengths

• 48 spectral channels covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 4 MeV
• Data collected from over 50 stratospheric balloon flights across four campaigns
• Coordinated measurements with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground/space-based instruments

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 X-ray spectrometers carried on stratospheric balloons

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:36:17.654303; freshness should be verified

Geography

Launches from Halley Bay and SANAE IV in Antarctica, and Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden