BARREL 4B: Fast-Resolution Bremsstrahlung X-ray Spectra from Balloon Campaigns

Six channels of fast time resolution (50 ms) Bremsstrahlung X-ray spectra from the BARREL balloon mission, covering an energy range from 0 MeV to 1.5 MeV. The data was collected by NASA's BARREL mission, a multiple-balloon investigation designed to study electron losses from Earth's Radiation Belts, with campaigns conducted from 2013 to 2016. Observations were made from stratospheric altitudes near the Antarctic and Arctic circles, and later from Kiruna, Sweden, in coordination with the Van Allen Probes mission.

Use Cases

• Analyzing temporal variations in electron precipitation based on the 50 ms time resolution X-ray spectra.
• Characterizing the spatial scale of relativistic electron precipitation based on multi-balloon constellation data.
• Correlating balloon-based X-ray measurements with in-situ plasma wave and particle data from the Van Allen Probes.
• Studying the energy spectrum of precipitating electrons based on the six-channel data covering 0-1.5 MeV.

Strengths

• Provides 50 ms fast time resolution data across six spectral channels.
• Data collected from over 50 stratospheric balloon flights across four campaigns from 2013 to 2016.
• Designed to provide spatial and temporal measurements in coordination with the comprehensive Van Allen Probes mission.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment for large-scale ML tasks.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to the specific Antarctic, Arctic, and Swedish launch sites.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

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

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 11:54:39.530377; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Antarctic (Halley Bay, SANAE IV) and Arctic (Kiruna, Sweden) regions.