BARREL 4C Ephemeris: Balloon GPS and Magnetic Coordinates at 4-Second Resolution

The BARREL mission conducted balloon campaigns from 2013 to 2016, launching over 50 payloads from Antarctica and Sweden. This Level 2 dataset provides geographic and magnetic coordinates, including epoch time, latitude, longitude, and altitude, recorded every 4 seconds by onboard GPS units. It was produced by NASA to study electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts.

Use Cases

• Mapping the spatial distribution of relativistic electron precipitation based on balloon latitude and longitude.
• Analyzing temporal patterns of precipitation events using the 4-second epoch time series.
• Correlating balloon magnetic coordinates with in-situ satellite measurements of plasma waves and particles.
• Studying the spatial scale of precipitation at relativistic energies using the balloon array data.
• Modeling magnetic field variations derived from geographic coordinates using the IRBEM library.

Strengths

• Data is collected at a high temporal resolution of 4 seconds.
• Coordinates are derived from onboard GPS, likely providing precise geographic positioning.
• Over 50 balloon payloads were launched across four campaigns, providing multiple observation points.
• The dataset was collected in coordination with the Van Allen Probes mission and other ground-based instruments.

Limitations

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

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Data collected by BARREL mission balloons carrying X-ray spectrometers and DC magnetometers.

Time Range

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

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 03:33:08.688285; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Launch sites in Antarctica (Halley Bay, SANAE IV) and Sweden (Esrange Space Center, Kiruna).