BARREL 3F: Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns in Antarctica and Sweden

Antarctic and Swedish stratospheric balloon campaigns collected this dataset of Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts. The BARREL mission, a NASA Living with a Star project, launched over 50 balloons from 2013 to 2016, carrying X-ray spectrometers and magnetometers. Data includes 48-channel medium time resolution (4-second) spectra covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 4 MeV.

Use Cases

• Modeling electron loss processes from the radiation belts based on measured Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra.
• Analyzing spatial and temporal variations of electron precipitation based on multi-balloon constellation data.
• Characterizing the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies using balloon-borne measurements.
• Correlating precipitation events with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes mission.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 balloon flights across four campaigns (2013-2016), providing a multi-year observational record.
• Spectra cover a defined nominal energy range from 0 MeV to 4 MeV across 48 channels.
• First balloon measurements of relativistic electron precipitation coordinated with comprehensive in-situ measurements.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for specific modeling tasks.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measured by X-ray spectrometers and magnetometers carried on stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 12:07:45.360019; freshness should be verified.

Geography

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