BARREL 3G Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Antarctic and Arctic Balloon Campaigns

Four balloon campaigns conducted between 2013 and 2016 collected this data from launches in Antarctica and Sweden. The BARREL mission, a NASA Living with a Star investigation, measured bremsstrahlung X-rays from precipitating electrons using an X-ray spectrometer on stratospheric balloons. Over 50 balloons were launched, providing measurements to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts.

Use Cases

• Study electron precipitation spatial scales based on balloon array measurements across magnetic local time.
• Correlate X-ray spectra with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes mission.
• Analyze temporal variations of electron precipitation based on 32-second time resolution spectra.
• Characterize bremsstrahlung X-ray energy distribution based on the 256-channel spectrometer covering 0-10 MeV.

Strengths

• Data spans four campaigns from 2013 to 2016, providing multi-year observations.
• Over 50 stratospheric balloon payloads were launched, offering a substantial observational array.
• Spectrometer covers a nominal energy range from 0 MeV to 10 MeV across 256 channels.

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

2013-2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:33:32.487155; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Antarctic launches from Halley Bay and SANAE IV base; Arctic launches from Kiruna, Sweden.